Somebody Loves You
by magick-moments
Summary: corny title. sorry. this is about Harry and his friend's last 2yrs at Hogwarts, and what happens after they graduate. It's going to be LunaHarry and RonHermione. Plus I just had to bring Lupin back in!FINISHED!
1. Back to School

A/N: This is my First HP fic, so I don't know how good it is. Rated PG 13 for language and some other...err...situations. HP is JRK's. I know that....but I still hope you like this! Read and Review!  
  
The houses on Pivet Drive were very normal. Each house was lined up perfectly with the one next to it. Each house had a perfectly green lawn, a perfectly clean car parked in the perfectly clean driveway, and perfectly normal people inhabiting perfectly average homes.  
  
All but one, that is.  
  
Number Four on Pivet drive was home to the Dursleys, and whether everyone else knew it or not, also home to Harry Potter. The Dursleys were the type of people who didn't take very well to abnormal situations. Harry Potter was, in the Dursleys' eyes, a very abnormal situation. He was about to attend his sixth year at Hogwarts, a boarding school where witches and wizards, like Harry, went to learn magic.  
  
This day, Harry could be found up in his room, brooding. The nightmare that was his fifth year at Hogwarts wouldn't stay off his mind. He couldn't even escape his sadness while he slept. His friends weren't that much help, either. A stack of letters lay on his nightstand. Most were from Ron or Hermione, but each of them seemed to say the exact same thing.  
  
Dear Harry,  
Hope you're doing well? Ron says you haven't replied to his letters...I do hope you're all right. Everyone has been worried about you since, well, you know, what happened...I'm sure everything will be all right. Ron and I are meeting at Diagon Alley. We are planning to spend the week before school starts there. Will we see you there as well?  
Much love, Hermione  
  
Harry,  
I bet your summer is pretty bad, huh? Sorry. Mum says you could come stay with us? We're headed to Diagon Alley soon to meet Hermione. It'd be great if you were there. You need to have some fun. It would get your mind off, err...things.  
Ron  
  
In just under thirty seconds, Harry would be sixteen. Not that it mattered to the Dursleys, or for that matter, to him. The clock on his nightstand blinked midnight, and he sighed. All around him, the house was quiet, but for his Uncle Vernon's annoyingly loud snoring in the next room.  
  
Suddenly, as Harry had just sunk back into his pillow, there was a sort of popping sound, and the Weasley family and Hermione Granger was in his bedroom.  
"Oy, sorry Harry...wasn't aiming for your knees, you know." Ron apologized.  
"Hello Harry!" Mrs. Weasley greeted him in her usual high-pitched tone.  
"Sh!" Harry pleaded. "The Dursleys! You'll wake them!"  
"Oh, those stupid gits! We've got a portkey, Harry. What could they possibly do?" George asked.  
Hermione shrugged. "Well, we don't really live here, so I guess we wouldn't know..." she sympathized.  
"Where's your trunk, 'Arry?" yawned Mr. Weasley.  
Harry pointed as he jumped from his bed. He landed with a rather loud thud, but at this point, he didn't care. "Right here, sir...and Hedwig is out hunting, but I'm sure she'll find her way..."  
  
Harry scribbled a note for the Dursleys. 'Not that you care or anything, but I left with the Weasley family. I'll be back in June. –Harry'  
  
In no time at all, Harry found himself at Diagon Alley, back in the wizarding world. He spent his days exploring the various shops, buying school supplies, and doing homework. His nights were spent at the Three Broomsticks, lounging around with the Weasleys and Hermione, and fighting off the bad dreams that invaded his not-so-peaceful sleep.  
  
A day before the group was supposed to catch the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross, Ron, Hermione, and Harry ran into an old friend, Luna Lovegood. She was outside the ice cream shop with her father when they bumped into her.  
"Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione..." she smiled.  
Ron waved. "Hey Luna."  
Hermione wrapped Luna in a hug. "It's been a couple months, hasn't it? I've kind of missed your company. It's great to see you." She whispered.  
Harry blinked. Then Harry blinked again. Was it his imagination, or had something about Luna Lovegood changed? He looked her up and down. Something had changed. Luna Lovegood was georgeous. She smiled at Harry.  
"Hello Harry," she waved again.  
"Oh...hi, Luna." He gulped.  
Luna nodded. "How have you, um...been?" she asked.  
"I've been better." He admitted.  
"I could understand that," Luna sighed. She wrapped him in a hug. "It will be all right. Time heals all wounds, you know?"  
"Sure it does," he nearly growled.  
  
At the Sorting, Harry sat across from Ron, next to Luna, and on the other side of Hermione. He wasn't really paying attention, even as a first year girl, Sara Silverman, was sorted into Gryffindor. He kept stealing glances at Luna, who honestly wasn't paying attention either.  
"Harry? Isn't that great?" Ron was saying. What had he been talking about?  
"Yeah, sure. Uh huh." Harry droned.  
"You all right, mate?" asked Seamus.  
"Yeah, it's great, Ron." Harry repeated. He hadn't realized that everyone was staring worriedly at him. Finally he blinked. "What's wrong with everybody?" he demanded.  
"We were wondering what was wrong with you," Hermione snapped. "You've been staring off into space for the past five minutes. You haven't even blinked."  
Harry's mouth dropped open. "I was? Sorry..." he stammered.  
  
Classes started the following morning. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna (to their horror) all had Double Potions first. Snape was his usual Harry- loathing self, but in this particular class, he also seemed to be delighted in nearly making Luna cry. Harry fumed with anger.  
"Professor, I would love it if you would stop being a giant git," he yelled. He got up and stood in front of Luna. "Whatever problem it is that you have with me, my friends, or my parents, get over it!" He hadn't meant to burst out in such a manner, but he had, and he soon found himself in Professor McGonnagal's office.  
  
"Potter, I understand that you have been rather upset lately. I am very aware of what happened last summer. But do you think it wise to try and take out these aggressions on your professors?" McGonnagal was very calm, yet stern as usual.  
"He made Luna cry, Professor. And last year...Last year, he was supposed to teach me occlumancy. Except I found out he wasn't exactly popular when he went here, and that he hated my parents, so he refused. Did you know that?"  
"Potter, I..." But she was interrupted when Harry felt the need to continue.  
"Yes, he refused, and Voldemort tricked me. You know why? Because I didn't know how to do occlumancy. And now Sirius is dead, and I almost got Luna and Ron and Hermione killed..."  
"You blame Professor Snape for what happened?" she whispered.  
"He was supposed to teach me, wasn't he?" Harry screamed.  
"Well, yes, but..."  
"And he didn't!" Harry ranted. He got up and stormed angrily out of McGonnagal's office before she even had the chance to punish him.  
  
"Damn it!" Harry cursed, throwing his hands in the air in defeat.  
"Harry? You going to be all right?" Ron whispered.  
"I'm fine, Ron." He hissed.  
"No you're not, mate," Ron whispered. He reached out to pat his friend on the back, but Harry shrugged him away.  
"Harry...."  
"Go away, Hermione. I already told Ron, I'm fine." Harry grumbled.  
"It's not Hermione." Harry looked up to see Luna Lovegood sitting across from him. "Harry, I just wanted to say...well, thanks. You know, for standing up for me in Potions today. I really am sorry about Sirius."  
"How would you know it's about Sirius?" he shot at her.  
"Because Luna went with me. We've had a talk with Professor McGonnagal." The voice was familiar. Harry looked up to see none other than Remus Lupin standing next to him.  
"What are you doing here?" Harry was actually surprised to see his favorite teacher back on Hogwarts grounds. However, his question had come out in a much harsher tone.  
"Dumbledore has hired me again, despite the attempts of many to keep me away. I owe him a lot, you know. Do you want to talk to me about it?" Lupin smiled.  
"You know what happened." Harry huffed.  
Lupin sighed. "Yes, but I meant did you want to talk to me about what's going on with you? You know, Sirius and your parents were my best friends all throughout my schooling here."  
"Ironic, isn't it? You know my family more than I do." He groaned.  
"That is the terrible way that things played out." Lupin nodded. "You know...Lily hated James. She hated him with a passion for the longest time. And in the end, he died for her, and she died protecting you."  
"I already know that," Harry hissed.  
"Did you know that your parents knew about the prophecy? They knew what their fate was to be. Terrible, yes, to know such a thing, to know that you cannot change fate. But nevertheless, they ended up together, despite what they knew would happen."  
Harry wiped away a fugitive tear. Luna smiled and handed him a handkerchief. "Why would you tell me something like that?" he demanded.  
"Lily and James were Marauders. Marauders for life. Now, I'm the only one left." Lupin frowned. "We all knew what would happen. You see? It was James and Lily's fate that they didn't live to see you grow up, but they loved you. They loved you so much. So did Sirius. And it was Sirius's fate that he died saving you. He wanted to save you, to protect you, and he did. Nothing would make him happier than to know that you are all right."  
Harry sighed, letting his shoulders droop. "Just great." He groaned. "Well, Luna, Lupin, you may want to get away," he advised.  
"Why?" demanded Luna, who was teary-eyed from Lupin's sad story.  
"Because everyone I've ever loved has died." Harry said simply as he got up and walked away.  
Luna got up to follow him, but Lupin held her back. "He has to deal with it in his own way. That will take some time. Just give him time." He smiled. 


	2. The New Marauders

A/N: Hilo! Y'all like it so far? Hope so!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Well what in the world would you think he meant by that?" growled Hermione in anger. "I think he's just upset. He probably really needs us right now," she sighed.  
"Oh, no. Lupin said it'd be best to leave him be for a while," Luna advised. "He wasn't exactly in a good mood when I left..."  
Hermione frowned deeply. "Well, fine." She crossed her arms and plopped into a chair near a window in the common room. "If he wants to be by himself, I'm fine with that, but honestly! I still think he'd rather we tried to..."  
"He did try to take my head off earlier, Hermione," Ron remembered.  
"See! He's upset. We just need to let him deal with it, is all." Luna nodded.  
Hermione groaned. "You say that as if it is going to be easy or something!"  
"It won't be, but we still can't deny him his personal space..." Luna frowned.  
"I don't want personal space," Harry whispered, coming in through the portrait hole to sit among his friends. "I'm fine. I've talked to Lupin. I think I'm done crying now," he was very honest, although he wasn't looking them in the eyes as he said this.  
"You sure?" Luna smiled. "Cause I'll happily go away if you need me too!" It was amazing how Luna could seem so upbeat, even if all the happiness seemed to be sucked out of a room. This was one of those occasions.  
"No, Luna. That's all right." Harry promised. "But I'll let you know, okay?" he whispered.  
  
"Well, come Hermione! I believe we've got a date with some chocolate frogs and some Potions homework waiting for us in the library," smiled Ron, holding out his arm.  
Harry looked puzzled. "Huh?"  
Hermione blushed a dark crimson. "It's not a date, really. I promised him I'd help him with his Potions assignment. Do you need help?" Hermione looked anxious.  
Harry glanced from Ron to Hermione and back again. Ron looked excited, considering this was Potions homework. Hermione looked embarrassed for some reason. Suddenly, Harry understood why. "No," he shrugged. "I'll just ask Luna or Lupin for help later. You two have fun, okay?" he smiled.  
  
Luna and Harry found themselves under Harry's father's old invisibility cloak, and on their way to see Lupin in his office. He opened the door just as they got there.  
"Harry, I've been under that very cloak at least a million times. It doesn't work on me. Come on in," he grinned.  
"Hello, Professor." Luna waved.  
"What? No Hermione or Ron tonight?" Lupin laughed.  
"No. Hermione and Ron are on a date at the library." Luna shrugged.  
"A date?" Lupin raised an eyebrow.  
"Well..." But Harry could only laugh.  
"What did you want to talk about?" asked Lupin.  
"I don't know. I just came along with Harry," Luna admitted.  
"The Marauders." Harry spat. "I want to toss an idea your way."  
"Well, what is it?" Lupin had a curious glint in his eye.  
"I want to...well...reform the Marauders. You, Sirius, and my parents were the first, right? Well, what if I started...like...a new generation of Marauders. I've already got a couple people in mind, even." Harry explained.  
"Sounds like a brilliant idea!" Remus nearly jumped. He was bursting with pride. "...but just in case anyone asks, you never told me about it, all right? Technically, I'm a teacher again, so, you know..."  
"We totally understand." Luna smiled.  
Harry stifled a laugh. "All right. We never had this conversation, okay?" he joked.  
"Never." Lupin agreed. "You'll have to let me know who gets in, though. Oh, I don't think I've been this excited since James started the Marauders back when I went to school here..." he gasped.  
  
Ron and Hermione didn't return from the library until late that night. Ron boasted a perfect potions paper ("For the first time ever!" he had yelled happily), and Hermione was unnaturally quiet. The two were very confused to find Harry and Luna bending over several sheets of paper when they returned.  
"Whatcha doin'?" asked Ron.  
Luna scribbled something down on one of the sheets of paper. "Reforming the Marauders." She answered simply.  
"What are the..." Hermione began.  
"Marauders. It's the group my dad formed when he was at school here. Lupin, Sirius, my parents, and Peter were some of the members." Harry explained.  
"That's right!" A sudden realization had hit Hermione like a ton of bricks. "Lupin, Sirius, Peter, and your dad made the Marauders Map, didn't they?"  
"Yeah," Harry shrugged.  
"So? Explain!" demanded Ron, pointing to the various papers strung about the table. "What is all this?"  
"Just some stuff. You can see it by tapping it and saying..." Harry leaned in as if he were about to whisper. "'Marauders for life...'" he whispered.  
Ron and Hermione blinked in unison. "Where'd you come up with that?"  
"It was something Lupin said to me earlier," Harry sighed. "He had such a look in his eyes..."  
"So who's in it?" asked Ron.  
"Well, me, you, Hermione and Luna of course, Neville, and Ginny." Harry read from a list.  
"Sounds like fun," clapped Hermione.  
"We actually need your help, Herm," Harry looked up at her.  
Hermione took a step back. "With what?" she asked.  
Harry pointed to the various papers around the table. "I need your most brilliant curses...on those pieces of paper. We can't have just anyone reading it, now, can we?"  
"Harry! That sounds almost evil!" Luna giggled with delight.  
  
That night, Harry's nightmares strayed away from the subject of Sirius. He was no longer reliving the last summer in his head. This time, it was worse.  
  
He and the rest of the new Marauders were sitting out near the lake on the Hogwarts grounds. Luna was laughing, hard, and Harry was watching her. Odd as it was, Hermione was sitting on Ron's lap. The group was having a rather entertaining discussion.  
Then...the sky grew dark. Harry heard a scream. He thought it was his mother's, until he realized what Luna was looking at. Voldemort stood before them. Everywhere around them was engulfed in black. Voldemort laughed, a high, cackling laugh. A green light shot from his wand. Neville was the first to die. Then Ron, followed by his sister, Ginny. Hermione died next, throwing her own curse at Voldemort even as she fell. Luna's wand was raised. She yelled a curse, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her curse missed, and Voldemort threw his own. Luna didn't have a chance against Adavara Kadavara. She fell to her knees. Voldemort glared at Harry. "No!!!" he screamed.  
  
Harry woke up in a cold sweat. He was still in the dormitories, safe inside his large four- poster bed. He sighed deeply, and then began to scan the room. To his right, Ron was kicking in his sleep ("Huge... spiders!"). To his left, Neville was curled into a tight ball, and sleeping soundly. Harry breathed another sigh of relief before finally slipping back into an uncomfortable sleep.  
  
Harry woke with a start again the next morning. Luna was peering down at him. "First Quiddich game of the season, Harry! Against Slytherin! I'm rooting for Gryffindor!"  
"If you didn't, not only would you be disappointed, but you'd be a disappointed traitor," Harry smiled. He looked over to find Ron already in his Quiddich Robes. "All right, Ron?" he smiled.  
  
For the match, Professor Lupin decided to sit with Harry and Ron's cheering section in Gryffindor. He smiled. A certain group of four people were sporting not only every piece of Gryffindor merchandise available, but were also using red wand flares to write the words 'Slytherin are Losers'. He didn't need to guess why. He already knew. These kids were the few, the proud...Hogwarts' newest Marauders.  
  
Gryffindor won the match 170 to 30. Professor Lupin was the first of a rather large group of people to offer their congratulations. Harry raised an eyebrow at Lupin, pulling him aside once the crowd had cleared.  
"Professor Lupin, sir...I didn't want to tell Dumbledore this until I had talked to you," Harry whispered, "but, you see, I've stopped having nightmares about Sirius now, and..."  
"But Harry! That's great news!" Lupin smiled, patting him on the back.  
"But Professor..." Harry interrupted him and began to explain his newest nightmare. He told Lupin every detail without interruption. Lupin only nodded occasionally to show that he was indeed paying attention.  
  
"Harry, you know what it sounds like to me?" Lupin smiled.  
Harry was aghast. "Well, whatever it is, I certainly didn't find it very funny!"  
"No, not like that. I think you like Luna. Really. Think about it for a second." He paused, giving his advice time enough to sink in. "Honestly! I mean, Hermione on Ron's lap...what does that remind you of? I really do think so, Harry. You have been spending a large amount of time with her lately, haven't you?" He waited, and Harry reluctantly nodded. "Maybe Voldemort came up simply because he's always been a source of your problems, and you're worried that something bad might happen to ruin everything...I could see where that would come from..."  
"But what if something bad does happen?" Harry whined.  
"It won't. Not as long as you're at this school. Besides, I think we humiliated Voldemort enough last year, didn't we? He won't be back for a while. He has to take time off to nurse his enormous ego, you know..."  
"Professor Lupin, I don't think you'll ever really know how much you just confused me..." Harry frowned, scratching his head.  
"Want to know a secret?" he whispered, and Harry leaned in to hear. "I gave your father the same advice. He was having the same fears about Lily...even back when they supposedly hated each other. It's actually kind of funny, once I think about it. A little bit weird, really..."  
"Sure, Professor." Harry nodded, now feeling more confused than ever.  
  
Harry sat in a large red velvet chair in the common room. He was thinking so hard that his brow was furrowed. Did he like Luna as Lupin had suggested? And what the hell really was going on with Ron and Hermione? He was so confused. He didn't know anything anymore. He guessed he liked Luna. She was pretty, smart...a little weird, but definitely smart, and she had even been there when Sirius...His brow furrowed further. Sirius. Luna had believed he was innocent. Luna stood by him with Ron and Hermione when no one else would. And she was really sweet, on top of that....damn, was he confused. He took off his glasses, resting them on the armchair, and began to rub his temples. Lupin was right. For crying out loud! And his father? Well, that wasn't exactly a simple story either...  
  
"Boo!" shrieked Luna, jumping out from behind the chair. Harry nearly jumped three feet in the air. "You think too much. You're going to hurt yourself." She smiled.  
"Sorry. What's up, Luna?" asked Harry.  
"You want to go for some ice cream? It is a Hogsmeade weekend, you know. And we are sixth years..." Luna sat on his lap and put on her best puppy-dog face. "Come on...you know you want to..."  
"Where are Ron and Hermione and the rest of the Marauders?" Harry asked instead of answering right away. Luna stayed where she sat, but he didn't seem to mind.  
"Ron and Hermione left already. They said they were going for lunch. Neville and Ginny went to Honeydukes about an hour ago. Didn't you see them leave?"  
"No..." Harry frowned.  
"So, you want to go for ice cream?" Luna asked again.  
"Why not?" Harry smiled, glad for something to distract him from his own tangled thoughts. "It's a date."  
Luna laughed. "A date? Honestly, Potter. Wouldn't that put the school in an uproar!"  
"So?" Harry smiled, a mischievous look playing in his eyes. "Come on Luna, you know you want to..." he mimicked her.  
"Oh all right, Harry!" she smiled, punching him lightly in the shoulder.  
  
Luna and Harry made their way to the ice cream parlor. They sat there for hours. Harry found Luna very easy to talk to. Luna liked to laugh...a lot. Her laugh was nice, though...or at least he had thought so.  
  
"Harry, I'm glad I begged you to come out here. It's nice," Luna commented, taking a sip from her milkshake.  
"Don't worry about it Luna. I like you, so I don't mind at all." He admitted.  
"Really?" She was taking it literally, as he'd been partly hoping she would.  
"Yeah." He nodded.  
"Harry...what do you want to do when you get out of Hogwarts?" she whispered, as if his plans for the future were to be a big secret.  
"I want to be an Auror." Harry said this almost automatically. "And I want to be the one to get Voldemort..." he smirked, a note of venom in his voice.  
"And? Come on! That can't be it!" Luna grinned.  
"...I want to have a family. I can't believe I'm saying that. And I want to name my kids after my parents. You know...so I won't forget. So they'll know about their grandma and grandpa, and how brave they were..."  
Luna couldn't suppress her grin. She wiped a tear from her eye. "Harry, that's beautiful..." she whispered. She scooted closer to him. "I have the same ideas when it comes to my mom...I don't ever want to forget..." Luna shivered.  
Harry leaned in, and kissed her. It was short, but sweet. Luna blinked. Then she blinked again. "Harry..." she began.  
"I know." He smiled.  
"No, not anything like that. A Daily Prophet reporter just took our picture..." she pulled away, and pointed.  
  
Again, Harry Potter had made the front page. 


	3. Luna's Loss

A/N: Hello again. I get bored, and hence I update quicker. How do y'all like it so far? I won't know unless y'all post some reviews! Also, if anyone has some suggestions as to what they'd like to happen next, I may be able to put a few things in.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"Oh, Harry...this one will be hard to explain to everyone. Definitely." Hermione smiled.  
Ron blinked at the picture several times. "Well, glad they didn't..." he began, but Hermione smacked him hard. "Ow! What?"  
"Exactly! Why don't the stupid newspapers ever catch you two? Don't think I don't know what's going on!" Harry accused them.  
Ginny and Neville could only laugh. "We actually think it's really sweet, Harry. And you shouldn't give a bloody hell what other people think, anyway." She offered.  
"Thank you, Ginny." Harry smiled.  
Neville giggled to himself, and began to write on a piece of parchment. Hermione had bewitched the ink to be invisible, and had done her own version of an impenetrable charm on the paper.  
"You still haven't fixed that up, Neville?" Harry called.  
"It's about done." He replied.  
"What was he supposed to be doing again?" whispered Ginny.  
"You've seen the Marauder's Map, right? Well, we're making our own, in a manner of speaking. It includes the grounds and Hogsmeade, and every secret passage in-between. I even asked Professor Lupin to show me how they made the old one..." Harry explained.  
"And? So why is Neville doing it?" asked Hermione.  
"Because I messed it up, and because Neville is a genius. He's even been able to label people. Like, next to you, it would say 'Hermione Granger- Prefect'..."  
"And for Malfoy, it says 'Draco Malfoy- stupid git'" laughed Neville from several seats down.  
"Ingenious..." Ron whistled.  
  
Luna ran up to the table. She was panting for breath. She flopped down into the nearest chair, nearly knocking into Harry and Ron.  
"Luna, what's wrong?" asked Ron. Tears were forming in Luna's eyes. Harry noticed a letter she clung tightly in her hand.  
"Luna, what is that?" Harry whispered, slowly taking the paper from Luna's shaking hands. She said nothing, but began to sob.  
  
Harry read the letter three times in quick succession.  
  
'Dear Luna,  
I'm so sorry dear. Something terrible has happened. You must come home right away. Your father has died of what the Muggles call a 'heart attack'. It was sudden. I am so sorry...  
Your Loving Aunt- Belinda'  
  
"Oh god, Luna..." Harry gasped. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." He wrapped her tightly in a hug. "I'm so sorry."  
"A letter by owl?!" Luna shrieked. "That's all she could do? She doesn't even care!" Luna sobbed.  
"I know, Luna. It will be all right..." Harry tried to smile.  
The rest of the Marauders crowded around Luna. "We'll go with you. You won't have to go alone..." Neville choked as he offered her his sleeve.  
"She doesn't care!" Luna was still screaming, and her tragedy was starting to catch the attention of the other students.  
"I know, Luna. It will be all right..." Harry wasn't sure how many times he had repeated this phrase while he held her. She cried on his shoulder for what seemed like hours.  
"I'm an orphan, and she doesn't even care!" Luna choked between sobs. "An owl?!" She blew her nose. "A bloody owl?"  
  
McGonnagal and Lupin ran over with Dumbledore. They crowded around the Marauders, who were trying to shield Luna from the prying eyes of the other students.  
  
"My dear, what has happened?" asked McGonnagal.  
Harry said nothing, but handed McGonnagal the letter from Luna's Aunt Belinda.  
"Oh, no..." she frowned.  
Dumbledore sighed heavily, and shook his head. "This is terrible, dear. I shall have you packed right away..." he promised, wrapping her, and Harry (whom she was still attached to) in a hug.  
  
"Luna, are you sure you'll be all right by yourself?" Harry whispered. "We could come with you, you know. We want to be there for you."  
  
Luna planted a small kiss on his forehead. "I'll be all right." She smiled, and glanced at the rest of the Marauders. "I'll be fine." She said to the group, but she choked back a small sob. "Marauders?"  
"For life." The group chorused. They all wrapped her in a large hug.  
  
"You're looking rather antsy, Potter. What is it this time?" Professor Snape snarled. "Need I send you to McGonnagal's office again?" He was an inch from Harry's face now. "Potter, are you listening to anything that I have just said?"  
Harry nodded quickly. "Yes, sir." The truth was, he really wasn't paying attention. The truth was, he was glaring at the clock behind Snape. There was only two minutes and thirty-two, thirty-one, thirty.... Luna would be back to Hogwarts today.  
They didn't see Luna until later that night. She came into the common room looking drained and paler than usual. She immediately dropped into the nearest chair, letting her bags fall at her side. She sighed heavily, and her shoulders sunk.  
  
Harry was alarmed. "Luna? Are you all right? What happened?"  
Luna was silent for several seconds before she finally replied. "I have to live with my aunt. I have to live with my aunt..." Luna wasn't crying. Her voice was monotone. She seemed to be expressing no emotion whatsoever.  
  
"Luna...sweetie, snap out of it!" Harry clapped his hands.  
  
"No, Harry. I have to live with my Aunt. You don't understand. She's a Muggle. She's going to take me out of Hogwarts." Luna droned. She seemed to have no tears left to cry.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Hermione's temper flared almost instantly. "Is this the same aunt that sent you an owl saying your father had died of what Muggles call a heart attack? She can't be serious!"  
  
Luna blinked. "No. Not the same aunt. Aunt Belinda is my father's sister. She doesn't give a damn about me either. No. I have to go live with My Aunt Melissa. She's my mother's sister, you see? She doesn't like that I go to Hogwarts. Says it isn't normal..."  
  
"And where does she live, Luna?" asked Harry as an evil plan began to form in his head. "Come on. Tell us."  
"In Surrey." Luna spat.  
"Well, well, well...what a fine co-inky-dink that is..." Ron grinned.  
Luna looked up. "What?"  
Harry pat her on the shoulder. "Luna, you go ahead and pack your trunk, but don't bother unpacking it once you get to Surrey." He advised her.  
She blinked, swallowed, and blinked again. "Why?"  
"Because Harry has a plan, obviously!" Hermione grinned.  
"Yeah, and we're going to come bust you out!" Neville added.  
Luna smiled. "Bust me out? You sure?" She wiped away a tear. "Sounds kind of interesting, actually."  
"Oh, trust me," Harry laughed, "this will be." 


	4. Marauders to the Rescue

A/N: This is chapter 4 people! I need some feedback, here. For cripes sake. I can't tell if y'all love it or hate it 'cause no one has reviewed. I know I kind of went out on a limb with the Harry/Luna thing, but honestly, I was tired of seeing him paired up with Ginny all the time...Read and Review, please....  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Luna sat in her aunt's living room. There was no denying her boredom. Everything was so plain and ordinary. She had been attending Saint Mary's Prep Academy for the past week. That was boring, too. As for her Hogwarts friends, that whole situation was confusing enough in itself. She had received several night owls already telling her 'not to worry, that everything would be okay.' and several actually asking her stupid questions, such as 'What's your new school like?'. She didn't understand at all. If everyone was so keen on rescuing her from her aunt's Muggle prison, why hadn't she been rescued yet? Then, the doorbell rang.  
  
Luna was the one who answered the door. She couldn't believe who was standing in front of her. "What are you guys wearing?" she breathed.  
"Sh!" Harry warned. "If she asks, we're from your school, all right?"  
  
"Who is it, Luna?" Harry and the others could hear Luna's aunt's voice echoing down the hallway.  
Luna nearly jumped. "It's...friends from school, Aunt Melissa."  
"What are they doing here, Luna?" came her aunt's next question.  
Luna was silent a moment. "It's a project for our Home Studies class. We're supposed to make dinner for a friend. They're here to make dinner for us!" Luna called down the hallway. "Come in," she whispered.  
"...After we've caused enough havoc here, we even have Dumbledore and Lupin waiting to back us up!" Neville whispered. "I talked to them before we left this morning!"  
Luna was puzzled. "Well, then how did you get here?" she asked.  
"Brooms! How else?" smiled Harry.  
  
Luna's Aunt Melissa was visible now. She was a tall woman with a very stern expression on her face. She didn't share many of Luna's features. Her face lacked any femininity, and her hair was blond and much too short to match her face. She stood with her hands on her hips as Luna let the Marauders into the house.  
She tapped her abnormally large foot. "Well, Luna. Has school taught you nothing? Don't you want to introduce me?"  
Luna cursed under her breath, and turned around. "This is Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Ginny." She said quickly. "I'll show them where the kitchen is..." she nearly growled as she retreated.  
  
"I hope you guys have something really good planned! This ogre is getting on my nerves!" Luna hissed. "It's like she's spent the last week trying to beat the magic out of me...She thinks my father was a loon..." Luna's voice softened. Harry shivered. Luna's current predicament sounded a lot like his own situation with the Dursleys.  
Ron shrugged. "Honestly, Luna! My brothers own a joke shop! We're more than prepared!"  
Hermione grinned evilly. "Hey Luna, do you know your aunt's favorite food?" she asked.  
Luna thought for a moment. "She likes alfredo...almost any kind of pasta," she decided.  
"That's great!" Ginny clapped. "We'll be able to have lots of fun with that! You just sit back and enjoy the show, Luna."  
  
The Marauders, excluding Luna, of course, spent over forty-five minutes in the kitchen. Ginny prepared noodles, using a 'special' seasoning from Fred and George's joke shop. Now, every time Luna's aunt would poke one with a fork, it would scream.  
  
Next to her, Neville was busily preparing a Caesar salad. Hermione had taught him how to charm it so that the lettuce would throw croutons at whoever tried to eat it. He had to throw the croutons into the salad from a distance, so as not to be pelted with one himself.  
  
Ron took care of the meat department. His mystery meat was made of liver-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (the jumping variety!) and would even occasionally wiggle itself off the plate if it got too bored...Ron laughed as he put it onto the plate, and gave a thumbs up to Harry from across the room.  
  
Harry was working in the dessert department. He had made a marvelous two-layer cake, and filled it to the brim with Filibuster Fireworks. He laughed as he topped it off with whipped cream and cherries. It was going to be a messy night.  
  
"Hermione! We're done! Work your magic!" Ron whispered to her.  
Hermione waved her wand at each of the dishes. The meat stopped jumping, and Neville's retaliatory salad had ceased its crouton throwing. She smiled. "Done."  
"Yeah, but what did you do?" Ginny whispered.  
"Simple," Hermione laughed. "We'll get to have a pretty normal dinner...for the most part. When I tap the table with my wand, then the food will start acting up again. It should give us some extra time. If things started exploding and jumping the minute we got out there, we wouldn't even have enough time to call in Lupin and Dumbledore."  
Ron wrapped her in a hug. "You're a genius!"  
Hermione blushed. "Let's just start taking this stuff out there before they start thinking we've died in here or something."  
"Wait!" Harry held up his hand. "Does Luna know exactly what's going on?"  
"No," answered Neville, "that way her aunt can't blame her..."  
"I wonder why we haven't gotten in trouble with the Ministry of Magic yet?" Ginny wondered aloud.  
"Because Dumbledore has been preoccupying them for us." Neville smiled. "I told him about what we were planning, remember?"  
  
"Dinner is served!" Harry grinned. Hermione carried in the salad. Ron, who was carrying Ginny's enchanted Alfredo noodles, followed her. Next was Neville, carrying the mystery meat. Harry left and returned with the cake once the rest of the meal had been carried out.  
  
"This looks lovely!" Luna's aunt clapped her hands, and immediately went for the salad. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny took their seats. Hermione sat next to Luna, and grinned widely.  
  
When Luna's aunt had eaten a good portion of her salad, Hermione coughed. From under the table, she took out her wand. She tapped the under side of the table and glanced at each of her friends. Luna's aunt wasn't suspicious in the least. She went for her noodles next.  
  
Neville snorted into his cup of tea. The fork was getting closer and closer. Contact! A shrill scream filled the room. Luna covered her ears, and her aunt jumped back in her chair.  
"What on earth?" she shrieked.  
Hermione smiled. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked.  
Aunt Melissa pointed. "The noodles! They screamed at me!"  
"Are you sure you weren't hearing things, ma'am?" Neville coughed, playing along.  
"No! They screamed! They're alive!" she yelled.  
Ginny shrugged. "The noodles aren't alive, ma'am. I made them myself. They didn't scream then. Don't you think you would've heard it?" She nearly laughed.  
"I...yes...well...maybe a bit of salad, then. I think I'm rather tired today," she sighed, taking her seat again.  
  
She moved the salad plate towards her. The lettuce stood up, and began to throw croutons at her head. At first, she only blinked and shrugged. She tried again. A crouton hit her square between her eyes.  
"Oh, my god!" she screamed, horrified.  
  
Hermione tapped the bottom of the table again, and winked at Luna.  
Luna smiled. "Sit down, Aunt Melissa. You're loosing it. Look..." Luna took a large bite of her salad, swallowed, and then took a large bite of her noodles. "You're hallucinating, Aunt. You act as if your food is out to get you. It's quite yummy, actually."  
"Something's not right!" she growled. "Something is terribly wrong here!"  
"Aunt Melissa, they're from Saint Mary's. How would they know magi...."  
  
"Don't you say that word in this house!" she demanded.  
Hermione sighed. "Ma'am, why don't you have a seat? We can all have a piece of that delicious looking cake in the center of the table..."  
"It does look good," she admitted, "but what if...?"  
"Then we'll all cut our own pieces, aunt. Then you should have nothing to worry about..." Luna was close to tears. She wanted to laugh very badly.  
  
Hermione gave enough time for all of the Marauders to get their pieces. Neville and Ron had eaten most of theirs before Luna's aunt was brave enough to get near the cake. Hermione tapped the under side of the table again. Aunt Melissa had the knife. It was lowering, closer and closer to the cake. Finally, after taking another look around, she let the knife drop into the cake.  
  
The cake exploded in her face. It was all over her, all over her walls, and even a bit onto the ceiling. She screamed, dropping the knife onto the plate holding her meat. She was aghast to see it wiggle off of the plate and onto the floor.  
  
Just as she was about to lunge at Luna, the doorbell rang again.  
Luna jumped up. "I'll get it, Aunt Melissa!" she yelled, running towards the front door. She opened it. "Professor Lupin? Professor Dumbledore? You should see it!" Luna broke into laughter.  
  
Dumbledore and Lupin laughed at the scene before them. Dumbledore winked at Lupin, who straightened up, cleared his throat, and said, "Excuse me? We're from the Ministry of Magic's Accidental Magic Reversal Unit. May we ask what happened here?"  
  
"The food!" was all Luna's aunt could manage.  
"We can see that, ma'am. We want to know how this could have happened," smiled Dumbledore in his calmest tone. He winked at Luna.  
"I don't know!" she growled.  
"Ma'am...this is an all Muggle household?" Lupin grinned. "Muggle...err...meaning non-magic people, ma'am?"  
"No," Luna jumped, catching on. "I'm a half-and-half. I used to go to Hogwarts until about a week ago...my father died..." Luna explained.  
"Oh, I see..." Dumbledore winked again. "Ma'am, let me explain something to you. Magical children don't have complete control over their...err...abilities. That is why they go to schools such as Hogwarts, you see?"  
Lupin continued. "Yes. And doing something such as taking them out of school basically causes what we would call a magic build up, so to speak. Sometimes, it can be dangerous," Lupin lied, "but this time it just so happened that it wasn't..."  
"I will not have her going to such a place!" Luna's aunt growled.  
Dumbledore smiled. "Luna, what would you like to do?" he asked her.  
"She doesn't have a choice!" Her aunt screamed.  
Lupin shook his head. "Yes, she does, ma'am. You see, her father and mother were very prominent figures in the wizarding world. She's nearly graduated, and there is a program that will allow her to stay at Hogwarts if she needs to."  
"I want to!" Luna shook her head. "And I'm going to," she added, directing her speech this time to her aunt. "My father wasn't a loon, neither was my mother...you were just too close-minded to accept them..."  
  
With Luna back at Hogwarts, everything seemed right again. The Marauders were back together, and it was nearly the end of the school year. An unalterable feeling of relief and excitement could be felt throughout the castle. Everyone was glad that the year had been so peaceful. Memories of Voldemort did not cast a shadow over the castle, as they had managed to do so many years before. For Harry, Lupin, and the ever-dwindling Order of the Phoenix, this was a big sigh of relief.  
  
In June, almost a month after Luna returned to Hogwarts, school was finally over for the summer. Luna was permitted to stay at the castle, but for Harry, the summer holidays meant only one thing: that he would have to return to the Dursley's house. He was going to have to face his aunt and uncle after running away on his birthday. Or was he?  
  
The students filed off the Hogwarts Express in lines of three at King's Cross Station. Ron went with his family. Hermione found her parents waiting paitently in front of the barrier that led to Platform 9 ¾. Harry looked around for the Dursley's. He didn't see his purple-faced uncle, his timid looking aunt or his ever-widening cousin Dudley anywhere.  
  
"Great, I've been abandoned..." he groaned.  
  
The Weasley family had just slipped back through the barrier. Harry had already begun to drag his things out towards the street, in hopes that he could walk home before sundown.  
  
"Harry!" He could hear Mrs. Weasley's shrill voice behind him. He turned around. "Oh, Harry! Don't go that way, dear!"  
"What is it, Mrs. Weasley?" he asked her.  
"Oh, call me Molly, dear." She shrugged. "Arthur, tell him." She commanded of her husband.  
"Oh, yes dear." He nodded quickly. "Harry, I used the, err, felly- tone, is it called? I've talked to your uncle. He has given you permission to come and stay with us for the summer." Mr. Weasley paused, if only for effect. "That is, only if you want to?" he added.  
"Do I ever!" Harry grinned excitedly and wrapped Arthur Weasley in a bear hug. "Thank you so much, Mr. Weasley! Wow! No Dursleys for over a year! Have I died?" He ranted.  
"No..." Ron laughed. "Come on, Harry. Let's go." He smiled. "I've even invited Hermione and Luna to come visit if they want to."  
  
"This summer is going to be the best one yet," Harry grinned. 


	5. HermioneAttacked!

A/N: Wow...not exactly anything to say this time. That is unusual...Hahaha. Well, guess all I can say is the usual read and review please!  
  
Chapter Five  
  
It had been two weeks since Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts had ended. He was spending a blissful Dursley- free summer at the Burrow with the Weasley family. He even found the time to explain to Mr. Dursley the function of a rubber duck ("Fascinating, Harry! Truly fascinating!"), and show the rest of the family the proper way to use the telephone. They seemed just as easily fascinated with these ordinary objects as Harry did with the many aspects of the wizarding world.  
  
This day, Luna and Hermione were supposed to come to the burrow for a visit. Neville, the only other new Marauder not currently at the Burrow, had written Harry and Ron to tell them about his summer vacation to Romania ("...To visit a d...d...dragon colony..."). Harry and Ron were tossing dung bombs at the kitchen door when Mrs. Weasley announced Hermione and Luna's arrival.  
  
"Hey, Harry! It's been, what? Two weeks!" Luna smiled. She wrapped him in a hug. "Wow! Living at Hogwarts is neat! Been kind of bored though, without the rest of you around to get into trouble with." She admitted.  
  
"You can't tell me you've been looking for trouble, can you?" Ginny smirked.  
  
"Nope. No time. I've spent almost the entire past two weeks exploring Hogsmeade. It's so neat!" she jumped up and down.  
  
"How could you get bored of Hogsmeade?" Ron asked, as if she were some type of criminal.  
  
Luna stomped her foot. "Well, when you have to go all by yourself, it gets kind of old after a while." She defended herself.  
  
"Your Hogwarts letters are here! Hermione's and Luna's have come as well!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. "Ron! Ron! You're Head Boy!" she screamed. "I can't believe it!"  
"She nearly died when I made Prefect," Ron explained to Luna.  
"It can't be that surprising," Luna shrugged. "You're not that bad."  
"Mum thinks I take after Fred and George too much," Ron admitted.  
Hermione smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't think you take after anyone too much," she whispered. "If you did, I would've been bored of you by now."  
Ron blushed until his skin color matched his flaming red hair. "That sounds mean, but I know to take it as a compliment," he said after a few moments.  
  
Hermione was shocked to find out that Ron wasn't the only one that got a surprise with his Hogwarts letter. She had made Head Girl ("Like that's a surprise!" Harry had groaned almost immediately).  
  
That night, Hermione and Luna camped out in the Weasley's living room with Ginny, and Harry and Ron slept in what was now Ron's own room. Harry was tormented by his dreams. First, it was his parents. Then Sirius. Then, the Marauders and Luna. It was happening again. The Dark Lord Voldemort was trying to play tricks with his mind. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He tossed and turned through the night, seeing it all over and over again. His parents. Sirius. Ron. Hermione. Ginny. Neville...and Luna...over and over, with nothing he could do. "No!" he screamed. "What did they do? Leave them alone! It's me you want, damn it!"  
  
Someone was shaking him, hard. "No! Don't kill them!" Harry screamed. The shaking continued. Finally, he jolted awake. His face stung. Someone had slapped him.  
  
"Harry, you were having nightmares again," Luna sighed, "I didn't want to slap you, but you were starting to scare Mrs. Weasley. She's downstairs hitting Mr. Weasley over top his head with her oven mitt..."  
  
"Huh? Why?" Harry slowly sat up, and yawned. "What did he do this time?"  
"You haven't seen the Daily Prophet for this morning yet, have you?" she whispered. "You'll see."  
"What is it?" Harry wondered aloud. He stretched before he stood up. "Luna, where's the paper at?"  
Luna shrugged. "Downstairs. Mrs. Weasley threw it out her window when she read it this morning. Hermione told me about it. Nearly hit her and Ron square in the head. They were," she cleared her throat, "they were, err...in the garden, you know..."  
Harry laughed. "For crying out loud, Luna! You act as if the whole thing is a big hush-hush secret between them."  
"Might as well be!" yelped Luna, narrowly avoiding squishing the cat as she made her way quickly downstairs. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know, besides Ginny, and maybe Fred and George, I don't think the rest of the Weasley family knows anything about it..."  
"About what?" asked Mrs. Weasley, causing Luna to jump several feet in the air and giggle uncontrollably.  
"Nothing...Mrs. Weasley," Harry smiled. "Where's the Daily Prophet at?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley grumbled something under her breath, and pointed out her kitchen window. Harry sighed, and headed in that direction. Once outside, he noticed Hermione and Ron, hiding in the begonias, and lip locked once again.  
  
He smiled as he found the Daily Prophet. "If you don't tell them, I certainly will. This is getting too amusing for words..." he whispered to the couple before he went inside.  
  
He took a seat next to Luna at the breakfast table. Ron and Hermione came in a few minutes later, claiming they had been attacked by one of the garden gnomes. Harry and Luna nearly snorted into their milk. Harry was already scanning the paper, but he didn't see much of interest.  
"...The front page, you genius..." Luna whispered.  
"But I didn't see any..." Harry began, but stopped. He hadn't actually read the front page. He had learned in his fifth year that this could be a very futile practice. He went back to the beginning. There it was. 'Ministry Worker Arthur Weasley and the Order of the Phoenix: Details on page 3!'.  
  
"What did you do, Mr. Weasley?" Harry couldn't help but laugh a little bit. After all, Mrs. Weasley's face was dangerously close to the ghastly shade of purple his uncle's face usually was.  
  
"Dumbledore came by, you see. Wanted me to go on assignment for him." Mr. Weasley was whispering as if every person inside the house didn't already know about the Order. "Well, Mundungus Fletcher was there with Tonks- drunk, I expect..." He paused. "And he just let it rip. 'Doing some business for the Order of the Phoenix, Arthur? Going to go kick you some death eater ass, are you Arthur?' It was horrible. The whole office heard him..." Mr. Weasley groaned. "I wanted to hex him. Dumbledore sure got out of there pretty quick..."  
  
Ron shoved another corn flake into his mouth. "Well, are you? Going on assignment, I mean?"  
"Can't go now. The entire Ministry thinks they know what I'm up to. It'd be too suspicious."  
"Can we change to a happier subject?" Hermione smiled hopefully. She was no doubt remembering their fifth year at Hogwarts, when they had found out that Mr. Weasley had nearly been killed while doing 'business' for the Order.  
"I've got something I'd like to share..." Harry shot Ron and Hermione a sly look.  
Mrs. Weasley looked interested. "What is it, Harry dear?"  
"Well, it's about Ron and Hermione. You see, they are quite the item at school nowadays..." Harry smiled and dodged a flying muffin from Ron's side of the table.  
"So are you and Luna!" He hissed accusingly, turning a brighter red than his own hair color.  
Luna laughed. "Daily Prophet already caught us," she reminded the entire table.  
  
Mrs. Weasley blinked. "Ron? Hermione? Is this true?"  
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione whispered, embarrassed.  
"It's wonderful news!" Mr. Weasley stood and wrapped both Ron and Hermione in so tight a hug that they were nearly asphyxiated. "Wonderful! Absolutely splendid!"  
  
Hermione looked slightly shocked. Ron remained the bright red color he had turned when Harry first told his parents, but looked rather relieved. Ginny was unnaturally quiet, and was watching to see what Ron and Hermione might do next. Mrs. Weasley glanced around the entire table.  
She smiled. "So, my boys are growing up..." she choked back a small sob. She was looking at Ron and Harry with big, motherly googly-eyes. "Harry and Luna, Ron and Hermione..." she said their names as if she had suddenly had a brilliant idea. "I should bake you a cake!"  
  
"See what you've done?" Ron groaned. "She got like this when she found out about Percy and Penelope," he whispered.  
"Think of it this way," said Harry, barely able to contain his laughter. "At least now when you want to suck Hermione's face off, you won't have to hide in your mother's begonia bushes!" Luna seemed to think this was hilarious as well.  
  
Later that day, the Weasley family, Harry, Hermione, and Luna headed to Diagon Alley. They got all of their school supplies, and decided to spend the rest of the summer staying in Diagon Alley at the Three Broomsticks.  
  
Harry didn't evade his nightmares here, either. They actually seemed to get worse. His parents, dead. Sirius...as if he wanted to see that again. Then, at Hogwarts. He watched each one of his closest friends, each one of the Marauders, die before his eyes. Luna was always the last to go, no matter where his dreams seemed to take him.  
  
He awoke in a cold sweat. He'd expected to see the entire Weasley clan, or at least someone, staring at him as he woke, but no one was there. Maybe he hadn't been screaming? He had thought he might have been. He frowned, walked over to the desk in his room, found some parchment, and began to scribble out a note to Lupin.  
  
Dear Lupin, Hey, sorry to write like this. I know school doesn't start for a couple weeks, but I had to tell you. Well, you were right about Luna. I'm sure you saw the Daily Prophet? Oh, who am I kidding? The real reason I am writing you is because of the nightmares. They only get worse. I'm afraid it'll end up like fifth year. You remember, don't you? Mr. Weasley...and, Sirius...What if it happens again? What should I do? I am at a loss...  
Harry  
  
He looked the letter over several times before he finally handed it to Hedwig. "Take this letter to Lupin, understand? And hurry back. Thanks, Hedwig." He told her.  
  
"Harry! Hurry up, Harry! Everyone has left already!" Luna was hollering for him from downstairs.  
  
"Why didn't anyone wake me?" he asked when he finally joined her.  
She smiled. "I was going to, but you looked so cute while you were sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you..."  
He kissed her. This one was longer than the others, and more passionate. A definite fireworks starter. He didn't know why...but then again why should he have a reason? He loved this girl, did he not? Love? Oh, now he had gone and done it. He was thinking too much. His head was starting to hurt. His brow furrowed, and Luna couldn't help but laugh.  
"You're doing it again!" She pointed. "Come on. Let's hurry and meet up with the Weasley's before they leave us here...or before you hurt yourself..." she added playfully.  
  
They were outside now. It was one of those perfect days. Not too hot, but not too cold either. The kind of day that only happens every once in a blue moon. The streets of Diagon Alley were crowded with Hogwarts students buying school supplies, and many different witches and wizards from all over the world. Harry and Luna began to scan the crowd for the bright red hair that would lead them to the Weasley family.  
  
"I don't see them? Do you?" Luna was asking him, but he wasn't paying attention. The pain in his scar had suddenly seared to new heights. It was nearly blinding him.  
  
"Harry, are you all right?" Luna asked, a worried expression on her face.  
  
They heard screams. Harry ran in the direction of the commotion. Luna followed him to where a crowd had started to gather in the middle of the street. He couldn't see, so he began to push through them in hopes of seeing what had happened.  
  
He gasped. In the middle of the street lay not Mr. Weasley, not Mrs. Weasley, but Hermione Granger. Luna screamed and dropped to her knees beside Hermione. She was still alive. Harry hadn't seen what had hit her, nor who, but the anger swelled in him.  
  
Luna held Hermione. The two seemed to be talking all right, but Hermione was still bleeding. Harry looked around, but oddly enough, didn't see any of the Weasley family anywhere.  
  
"Hermione? Can you hear me? Where are Ron and the others?" Harry asked, a note of panic in his voice.  
  
"Went after him..." Hermione groaned.  
Harry was puzzled. "Who, Hermione? The person who did this to you? Who was it, Hermione?" he demanded.  
"Malfoy..." she frowned.  
Now Harry was really confused. "Hermione, but Mr. Malfoy is in jail. Remember? He tried to kill us fifth year..."  
"Not that one!" Hermione seemed annoyed at his sudden thickness. "It was Draco..."  
  
Harry would have taken off just as the Weasley's had done after Draco, had it not been for Albus Dumbledore's sudden appearance. Dumbledore carefully picked Hermione up, motioning for Luna and Harry to follow him. On their way back into the Three Broomsticks, Dumbledore stopped to whisper something to the inn keeper Tom, and then had Harry and Luna follow him into a back room. He pointed to a vase.  
"It's a portkey," he explained. "It will take us directly from here to St. Mungo's. Grab on. I've already told Tom where we were headed, so the Weasley family will know where to go..."  
  
Harry and Luna nodded, and touched the vase with Dumbledore. They were instantly taken to a place that was very familiar to Harry from his fifth year. The witch at the counter smiled at them. "How may I help you?" she asked. Dumbledore gave her a very agitated look. Hermione groaned. "Fourth floor." She smiled. 


	6. Operation Birthday Surprise

A/N: Is it St. Mungo's... or St. Mongo's?! I can't remember...but I can't find my books either....  
  
Chapter Six  
  
"Draco Malfoy will be immediately expelled from Hogwarts," Dumbledore reassured. "And Hermione will make a full recovery. She should only be here another day or two..."  
  
"Oh, so now you expel him," Ron growled. "Fifth year, his bloody father tried to kill us, but you wait until he almost kills Hermione before you get rid of him."  
  
"Everybody deserves a chance, Ron." Dumbledore frowned. "Draco was given a chance. If he had wanted to, he could be completely different from his father...choose the better path, so to speak. As it were, he did not. There is nothing more I can do for him."  
  
Harry was sitting with Ron at Hermione's bedside when Dumbledore left. Luna, along with the rest of the Weasley family, had left the hospital to owl Hermione's parents and then bring them to visit her. They had been gone nearly an hour when Neville and his grandmother came through the double doors at the end of the hallway.  
  
"Hey, Neville! Back from Romania in one piece, I see..." Ron smiled jokingly.  
"Yes, well..." he began, but stopped cold. "What's happened to Hermione?" he demanded.  
Harry frowned. "Draco Malfoy happened to Hermione, is what." He answered.  
Neville looked anxiously at his grandmother. "Grams, can I stay a while with Hermione?" he asked her.  
Neville's grandmother did something she didn't do often. She smiled. "You go right on ahead, Neville. I'll just leave you be. I can go talk to your father for a little while..." and she headed in the direction from whence she had come.  
Neville turned red. "Draco did this to her?" he growled.  
"Dumbledore's expelled him." Ron smiled.  
Neville looked thoughtful for a moment. "But aren't Hermione's parents...Muggles? Has anyone told them what has happened?"  
"That's where Luna and the rest of the Weasley's have gone. They should be back soon," Harry explained. "She's been sleeping for the past hour or so. Whatever that nurse gave her sure worked pretty good."  
  
There was the sound of more footsteps, and the door to the hallway opened once again. It wasn't the Weasleys, but it wasn't Luna either. Remus Lupin was coming down the hallway, fast as his feet could carry him.  
  
"What have the doctors said? Will she be all right?" he demanded of them.  
Harry smiled. "She'll be fine, sir. She's only sleeping now." Then something dawned on him. "Professor Lupin, did you get the owl I sent you? I haven't been back to the Three Broomsticks yet, so I don't know if Hedwig has returned..."  
  
Lupin thought for a moment. "Yes, actually, I did." He remembered. "I've talked to Dumbledore about it, as well. He reckons you shouldn't believe what you see, but told me to caution you, anyway." He paused for a moment. "Besides, last year was a Voldemort free year, so we should have high hopes for this year." He smiled, although many people flinched at the name.  
  
Hermione had begun to stir. She blinked. Everyone was staring at her. "Err...good morning?" she smiled.  
  
"Not really. More like mid-evening." Ron joked. "My family went to your house. They're going to bring your parents to visit you." He smiled. "And Malfoy has been expelled."  
  
"Great news." Hermione smiled. "Hi Neville, hello Harry." She turned towards each of them. "Harry, where's Luna?"  
Harry shrugged. "With the Weasleys. She was really worried when you were hurt..." he frowned.  
  
Lupin smiled. "Yeah, Dumbledore just left the castle. That man has a sixth sense for when one of his students is in danger. It's remarkable." He laughed quietly to himself. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Been better," Hermione admitted.  
  
The doors at the front of the hallway swung open again, and this time, it was Luna and the Weasley family who were walking down the hallway. They had with them two very timid but worried looking Muggles: Hermione's parents.  
  
"Took us forever to get there!" Mr. Weasley explained. "Molly wouldn't let me fly the car. Said we had to drive like the Muggles would...and we got stuck in traffic."  
Harry laughed. "It's all right, Mr. Weasley. That's happened to me loads of times."  
  
"Are you all right, dear?" Hermione's mother was asking.  
Hermione smiled for her parents. "I'm fine, mum. I've just been a little sleepy."  
"Are you sure?" it was her father's turn to ask a question.  
Hermione nodded. "Yes, daddy. They can fix almost anything here. Our second year at Hogwarts, they re-grew every bone in Harry's arm. This is nothing," she shrugged.  
  
Ron and the others had quieted. Hermione smiled. "Mum, dad, this is Ron. He's my...err..." she seemed to be searching for the words.  
"Her boyfriend." Ron's boldness surprised everyone.  
"Hello, Ron." Hermione's father shook his hand. "Welcome to the family..."  
Ron blushed. "Well...err..."  
"So nice to meet you, dear." Hermione's mother wrapped him in a hug.  
Ron was slightly in shock.  
  
Hermione was released from the hospital only two days later. School, meaning the start of their final year at Hogwarts, now loomed less than a week away. Neville got permission from his grandmother, and decided to stay with his friends for the last week.  
  
For that week, Harry's nightmares ceased. He was able to spend time with the Marauders, and more time than before with Luna. He was in bliss. To him, it was as if, even for a moment, his worries had faded away.  
  
The start of term at Hogwarts was basically uneventful for the Gryffindors, who only found themselves with one new first year, a girl named Melissa Hart. The Marauders found that they actually had several classes together. All in all, the year was starting out marvelously.  
  
After a D.A.D.A. lesson one day, Luna caught up with Harry in the hallway.  
"What is it?" he asked her, slightly worried.  
She smiled. "It isn't bad. Guess what?" she asked.  
"I'm not very good at guessing." Harry frowned in defeat.  
Luna looked disappointed. "Oh, come on. Guess just once. It's something great! Try it."  
"Hmm..." Harry thought out loud, "Let me think...hmm...oh! You're madly in love with me, and you've finally told the world!" he said with a laugh.  
Luna giggled. "Close, but no. The magazine my dad worked for has hired me! You remember it, don't you?  
Harry laughed. "How could I not? I trust that magazine far more than I trust the Daily Prophet...but then, I guess I have you to blame for that," he added.  
"You still want to be an Auror?" whispered Luna, bringing up a conversation they had in their sixth year.  
Harry thought for only a second. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. I can't take any of the tests until after we graduate though."  
"But you passed your apparating test, right? So at least you know you can do that right." Luna offered.  
Harry grinned. "Yeah. I think I may ask Professor Lupin for some extra help this year, though. I've heard there are some really tricky counter curses we're supposed to be able to do..."  
"Try not to worry about it," Luna laughed.  
"This comes from the girl that already has a job..." he smiled.  
  
It was only a month unto the school year when Ron pulled all the Marauders into a secret meeting in the library. The only one absent appeared to be Hermione. The Marauders were confused, but they went anyway, all wondering what is was that Ron thought was so urgent.  
  
When everyone was there, Ron started the meeting.  
"And so begins meeting number thirty-two of the Marauders," Ron began jokingly. "And an operation I'd like to call..." he thought for a moment. "Operation Birthday Surprise..." he said decisively.  
  
"Yes, Ron, that's all lovely, but what's it about?" demanded Ginny.  
"Hermione's birthday is next month, right?" Ron waited for everyone to nod.  
"So? We know it's her birthday? Was that all?" Neville asked.  
Ron threw up his hands, and had to be careful not to shout. "No! That's not entirely the point!" He looked at Ginny. "I've talked to mum and dad," he told her, "and Hermione's parents as well."  
Everyone was still not grasping what Ron was trying to tell them. He could not believe their thickness.  
"I want you guys to help me throw a huge party. I mean huge!" He held out his arms as far as they would stretch. "My parents are coming, and so are Hermione's."  
  
Luna seemed to suddenly understand. She only smiled and nodded ("Thank you! Someone knows what the bloody hell I'm talking about!" he groaned.)  
  
"Yes, but Ron...why all the urgency? You look like you're about to pass out..." Harry smiled. "What is it? Just tell us, will you?"  
"He's proposing to her on her birthday! For crying out loud! It's not that hard to figure out!" Luna hissed.  
  
The Marauders were floored. Mouths open, they stared at Ron for several minutes before anyone spoke. It was Neville who said something first.  
  
"Really?" he stammered. "I mean, are you serious?"  
"Ron! You're a genius!" Harry clapped. "And she won't even really suspect anything...this should be interesting..."  
Ginny smiled. "I'm proud of you, Ron. You just tell us exactly what you need us to do, and it's done." She promised. "I bet mum and dad were thrilled, weren't they?"  
"Yeah," Ron blushed.  
"We're behind you all the way on this one, Ron. Marauders?" Luna looked around the table.  
"For life!" they chorused.  
  
"Okay people," Ron smiled, "but remember, Hermione can't know what's going on. We need to be extra careful about what we talk about around her until her birthday, all right? I've already talked to Professor Lupin and Professor Dumbledore."  
  
"What are they supposed to do?" asked Neville, a curious glint in his eye.  
Ron laughed. "Well, Hermione was thinking about being a curse-breaker for Gringotts, right? So Professor Lupin told me he would start helping her and Harry with counter curses during the evenings. That way Hermione's distracted, and Harry will be there some of the time to assure her nothing's going on..." Ron pointed to Harry.  
  
"And Dumbledore? What of him?" asked Harry.  
  
"Dumbledore's going to help with decorations. We're going to use the boy's dormitory in our tower since she barely comes in there. Even Professor McGonnagal wanted to help. She's making a bewitched cake..." Ron looked as if he was still deciding on this.  
  
"I think it will be lovely." Luna nodded to him.  
  
The month between the Marauder meeting and Hermione's birthday passed quickly. The Marauders found themselves in battle mode. Operation Birthday Surprise was now in full effect, and Hermione still had no clue as to what was going on.  
  
The morning of Hermione's birthday came, and the Marauders woke her to shower her with their various birthday gifts. This, in itself, was surprising enough to her. Ginny's job for the day, once the group was out of their pajamas, of course, was to spend the day with Hermione and keep her just busy enough to be oblivious as to what was happening around her.  
  
Harry sent an owl to the Granger house, telling Hermione's parents to meet him at King's Cross Station in London. Professor McGonnagal, after adding the finishing touches to her cake, drove Harry to meet the Grangers, and take them back to Hogwarts. Harry snuck them on the grounds, and straight past Hermione and Ginny, and took them to the Gryffindor boys' dormitory.  
  
Neville was already waiting in the boys' dormitory with Dumbledore. Neville greeted the Grangers, and put them under a disillusionment charm so Hermione wouldn't see them if she did happen to come in. Dumbledore bewitched the ceiling so that it looked like there was a starry night actually inside the room. It was the same charm he had used to make the Great Hall so...interesting. Hermione's parents were delighted.  
  
Luna brought Ron's parents straight into the Gryffindor common room using the Floo Network. They ran straight to the boys' dormitory, where Neville and Dumbledore were still waiting.  
  
Later that afternoon, after the rest of the Marauders had given him the okay, Ron picked Hermione up from her lesson with Professor Lupin.  
  
"Err...Professor? Could you come with us? There's something really important I want to show you in our common room. It's really neat," he winked.  
  
Professor Lupin smiled and followed the couple into the common room. From inside the dormitory, Dumbledore heard footsteps, and quickly removed the Grangers and the Weasleys from the disillusionment charm. The door swung open.  
  
Hermione's mouth dropped open. Her parents had come to visit for her birthday, and the Marauders had arranged it. She kissed Ron. "This is the best birthday present I've ever had! How did you get everyone here?" she asked.  
  
Ginny and Luna stifled a laugh. "Really? You sure it's the best you've ever had? Bet you he can do better..." Luna smiled.  
  
It was as if Hermione had only just noticed Ron's parents were standing there. They beamed at her. "Why are your parents here? And Dumbledore? And Professor McGonnagal? And why would you have Professor Lupin follow us? What did you do, Ronald Weasley?" Hermione demanded politely. She was starting to become suspicious.  
  
"Happy birthday, Hermione." Ron smiled. "But, that's not all."  
"What do you mean, 'that's not all', Ron?" Hermione whispered.  
Ron gulped. "I got the Marauders together at a secret meeting a while ago. I called both our parents. I wanted everything to be perfect for you today, because...well, because..." Ron got down on one knee, and took a small ring box out of his robes, "because I love you, Hermione, and I couldn't think of a better time than now to ask you to marry me?" Ron finished and took a deep, worried breath.  
  
Hermione's mouth dropped open for the second time in ten minutes. She looked from Ron, and carefully scanned the expressions of every person in the room.  
  
"Oh...my...god..." she gasped. "Ron...I can't believe you went to all this trouble..." She was smiling broadly than he had ever seen her.  
  
"Sweetie, you still haven't answered him," Luna reminded her.  
  
"Yes, of course!" Hermione cried, and again kissed Ron. "Of course, I will!"  
  
Cheers erupted throughout the room. Operation Birthday Surprise, as it turns out, had been the biggest of successes.  
  
A/N: Mind you...there will be more. After all, their 7th year isn't over yet, is it? And I promised y'all I'd go farther than that...and I intend to. Hope you enjoyed this one! Read and Review please! 


	7. Hogwarts Under Siege

A/N: People, this is my first HP fic, and my first fan fiction in like a year, and I've only had one person review it...as of when I checked yesterday. Granted this chapter probably won't be posted for a while, I would love to hear some of your comments, your criticisms...anything. Please Read and Review! ;) Thanks! – Me  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Hermione was still a bit shocked, even by the week following Ron's ingenious proposal. Lupin continued to give her and Harry lessons on counter-curses, despite that this had only been a distraction before. Luna dove into her schoolwork, and wove her life at Hogwarts into the stories she wrote for her father's magazine. Neville began to visit his parents more and more, although none of the Marauders could figure out why. Ginny had even started dating a sixth year Ravenclaw. Ron's ears became red with anger every time she mentioned him. All in all, the Marauders were carrying on with their lives, and preparing themselves for what would meet them in the future.  
  
Harry and Ron walked out of the common room, and headed towards the stairs. "You've put me in a hard spot, Ron. Really, you have." Harry admitted.  
"What? What did I do?" Ron whined.  
Harry smiled. "Nothing like that. Your proposal and everything...it was so grand scale. I won't be able to surprise Luna like that, even if I wanted to..."  
"Why?" asked Ron, scratching his head.  
"Because she was in on the plan with Hermione. She'd become suspicious too easily, you see?" Harry explained.  
Ron laughed. "Well, I'd never thought of it like that before, but I guess you're right, huh? Sorry, mate." Ron pat Harry on the back.  
"Aw man...what am I going to do? There's only a couple more months of school left, and then I have to go back to the Dursley's..."  
"What do you mean?" Ron blinked. "You're seventeen! You've almost graduated! You could live right in Hogsmeade if you wanted to." Ron reasoned.  
Harry frowned. "I'd still have to go back and get the rest of my things. Isn't it glorious, though? Not like I'm under-age anymore. Let that great oaf Dudley say one word to me out of line..." Harry laughed at the image in his head.  
"I've got it!" Ron threw his finger in the air as if a light bulb had just turned on in his head. "The last day of school, Harry. The last day. On the train, even. Would that surprise her enough? You think she'd suspect it?"  
"No," Harry shook his head, "long as we weren't whispering about it every time she turns around. Ron, sometimes you amaze me."  
Ron stopped. "Hey Harry, could I let Hermione in on it?"  
"She'd pummel you if you didn't, wouldn't she?" Harry laughed.  
  
"I think the both of you are ready," Lupin smiled at Harry and Hermione. "You should be able to pass just about every test they throw at you. You both have done a marvelous job."  
"Thanks, Professor. Our qualifying tests are this weekend, you know? There are some Ministry representatives coming into Hogsmeade. I got an owl about it just yesterday," Hermione grinned. "You want to come and be our cheering section?"  
Lupin grinned. "I'm not sure it's legal you have a cheering section," he whispered, "and besides, I thought that you two were taking different tests?"  
"We both have to pass at all those counter curses. Other than that, the tests are different." Harry frowned.  
"Well, good luck...although I don't think you need any of it," He waved.  
  
"Harry, after our qualifying tests on Saturday, go with me to the jewelry store in Hogsmeade. I've been there with Luna loads of times..." Hermione whispered so he could barely hear. "I'll help you out..."  
"Thanks, Hermione..." The tone in Harry's voice dropped.  
Hermione blinked in confusion. "Harry, what's..." but she understood when she saw it. "Oh no! Harry! That's a Dark Mark!"  
  
"Where is everyone? We've got to go tell Dumbledore!" Harry and Hermione bolted for the door they had just came out of, and nearly ran right into Snape.  
"Professor, there's a Dark Mark! Outside! It's in the sky above the whomping willow!" Hermione screamed.  
Snape did a double take. "A what?! Where? Go get Dumbledore, now! Hurry!" He yelled. He ran outside, but all the students had noticed the mark. They ran for the door before he had to ask them.  
  
"Where's Hermione? Oh god! I can't find Hermione and Harry!" Ron yelled. "Neville? Luna? Ginny?! Where in bloody hell did you go?" he screamed.  
"Over here, Ron! Get inside!" yelled Ginny.  
  
"Dumbledore! Open, damn it! Open up!!" The phoenix staircase turned, and Dumbledore ran down it.  
  
"Where is it?" he demanded.  
"Outside, above the whomping willow...but no one's here yet..." Hermione whispered.  
  
He nodded. "I want you all to stay inside where it is safe." He ordered and ran towards the main staircase.  
  
"Come on Harry! We've got to find Ron and the others..." Hermione was beginning to loose her composure. "Come on! They could be outside! What's wrong with you?!"  
"I don't know!" He shot back at her. "I can't even see! The pain..."  
"Damn! I'll drag you if I have to! Come on! We've got to find them before they get hurt!" Hermione cursed.  
  
They did find the rest of the Marauders. The entire school was huddled into the Great Hall. Many were watching the events outside through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. Lupin, Snape, McGonnagal, and Dumbledore himself were taking on five Death Eaters that had shown up on the grounds after the mark appeared. Luna was among some of the students watching at the large windows.  
  
"Harry! Harry! McGonnagal just took a bad one, Harry! What the hell? I've seen that woman..." Luna was thinking out loud.  
"She killed Sirius." Harry's anger was boiling.  
  
Hermione found Ginny sitting in a corner with Neville, who was rather upset. Ginny had him wrapped in the tightest of hugs. There were some nearby Slytherins covered in sticky pink goo. Hermione imagined that was Ginny's doing.  
"Is he all right? Was he hurt?" Hermione worried.  
Ginny shook her head. Hermione took a seat next to her. "He's not in good spirits right now. That woman out there...the one Dumbledore was dueling with...she helped...you know...his parents..." She paused a moment. "Those Slytherin gits were making fun of him. I had to do something..."  
"Oh," was all Hermione could manage.  
  
Harry's scar was searing now. He couldn't see what was going on outside. He couldn't even think. Occasionally, he would hear Luna trying to talk to him, but the pain...it was blinding, and at this point, deafening.  
  
There was the sound of glass breaking. One of the floor-to-ceiling windows had just shattered into pieces. A trail of red light was traveling through the room. The students jumped to avoid it, but one jumped too late. The Gryffindor first year Melissa Hart was the first person to fall that day.  
Hermione screamed. "Oh god, it's Melissa! Where's Madam Pomfrey? Someone find Madam Pomfrey! She needs help!"  
"I'm here, child! I'm here!" Hermione could hear Madam Pomfrey. Seconds later, she emerged from the crowd of students. She looked at Melissa, who seemed to still be alive. "Oh, thank god it wasn't Adavara Kadavara..." she whispered to herself.  
  
By the end of it all, two teachers and nearly twelve students who got caught in the cross fire were taken to St. Mungo's. Three of the five Death Eaters had died in the conflict, and one had been hit with one of Dumbledore's memory charms. She was taken directly to Azkaban, and charged with the torture of the Longbottoms and the murder of Sirius Black. The fifth had disappeared before anyone could catch him.  
  
Snape recovered in St. Mungo's in less than a week. McGonnagal, on the other hand, was kept at the hospital until nearly the end of Harry's seventh year. Dumbledore made it a point to cancel the exams. The remainder of the year, he said, could be spent, 'Reflecting over the year and what was soon to come...'  
  
While exams were cancelled, Harry and Hermione's qualifying exams had not been. The two made their way to Hogsmeade just four days after the Death Eater attack on Hogwarts. Ron and Luna followed, making their way to Honeydukes ("We'll meet you right here when you're done!").  
  
"You've passed your apparating test?" asked the Ministry official.  
"Yes." Harry nodded.  
The official smiled. "You've done excellent on your counter-curse test!"  
"Thank you, sir." Harry nodded again.  
"Do you recognize this curse?" the official showed him a photo.  
Harry sighed. "That's locomotor mortis."  
"And this one?" Another picture.  
Harry nearly laughed. "The Pacificus Totalis..."  
"What's so funny, boy?" He demanded.  
Harry jumped. "Nothing, sir. I just remembered something from my first year, is all." He shrugged. He shook his head. Poor Neville. Hermione would know what that was if they asked her.  
The official cleared his throat. "May we continue? Tell me what this one is..." Yet another photo was placed in front of him.  
Harry stared at it, frowned deeply, and stared some more. "Adavara Kadavara..." he growled.  
"And what does it do?" the official asked.  
Harry contained his temper long enough to be smart with the official. "I wouldn't know how it works. I've never done it. But I've seen it kill both my parents and my godfather. Is that good enough for you, sir?"  
The Ministry official nodded. "Sorry. I had to ask. That's the most dangerous one on their arsenal, you know?" he whispered.  
"So? How did I do?" asked Harry, his anger slowly fading away.  
"You've passed. I like you, kid. Maybe we'll end up working together?" he smiled.  
"What? You're actually an Auror?" Harry's mouth nearly dropped to the floor.  
"Yes. Well, what did you think? You mean...they didn't tell you...?" it was his turn to be surprised. "Anyways..." he cleared his throat. "Report to the Ministry two weeks after your school gets out. That's when the training program begins. Congratulations, Mr. Potter, you've made it this far..."  
  
Hermione came out looking very triumphant indeed. She was inside several minutes longer than Harry had been. Harry started heading for Honeydukes the moment he saw her come out the door.  
"Harry!" Hermione hissed. "The jewelry store! Did you forget?"  
"Oh..." Harry turned around and followed Hermione.  
  
"That's the one she likes..." Hermione pointed to a ring neat the center of the display case. It was gold, and instead of a diamond in the middle, had one of the brightest red jewels Harry had ever seen. He was in awe of it. "Isn't it pretty?" Hermione was giggling.  
  
Harry paid over three Galleons for it, but he had bought Luna the prettiest ring in the entire display. He felt very pleased with himself, and by the time he and Hermione had reached Honeydukes, was in a very good mood.  
  
"So what? Did you guys pass? Look! Neville and Ginny even came!" Luna smiled. "Come on, spit it out!"  
Hermione gave her a thumbs up. "We passed." She smiled. "With flying colors!"  
"That's...great...Harry...'Ermione..." Neville said in-between his chocolate frogs. He swallowed. "When do you start the training program?"  
"Two weeks after school lets out...which gives me just enough time to get my things from the Dursley's and get back here..."  
  
"I want to go with you!" Luna smiled.  
Harry looked at her as if she had lost all common sense. "I know you love me, but you don't have to go. Torture isn't conducive to a good relationship. It would be mean to make you go..."  
"But you're not making me go. I want to go." Luna promised. "Of my own free will." She added.  
"All right. But I think you're nuts." Harry nodded.  
  
They all boarded the Hogwarts Express a week later. Harry made sure all of the Marauders shared a cabin. About half way through the ride to King's Cross, Harry winked at Hermione.  
"Hey Luna..." smiled Harry. "I have something I want to ask you." Harry whispered.  
"What is it, Harry?" Luna whispered back as if it were a big secret.  
Harry took a deep breath. "I know this isn't nearly as exciting as when Ron proposed to Hermione, but we didn't know any other way to surprise you..." he began.  
Luna gasped. "Harry!"  
"Luna, will you marry me?" he asked.  
Luna didn't wait to reply. "Yes!" she laughed. Luna sat on his lap and kissed him, hard. Neville laughed, and made a fake puke-face. He pretended to gag for several minutes. "Honestly, you two! Save it for the honeymoon! Gross!" He laughed. "And with Ginny being so impressionable..." he added jokingly. "I'm not impressionable!" Ginny defended herself hotly. "You watch it, Longbottom!" "We're back to a last name basis, Ginny?" Neville teased. "Shut up, Neville! I'm warning you!" "What are you going to do about it, Weasley?" Neville laughed. "Okay, you two. You're starting to frighten me..." Ron groaned. "Give it a rest, will you? We still have, like, a whole fifteen minutes left on this stupid train." "Yes, and I'm sure you'll go completely bonkers by then, won't you?" Hermione smiled. "Not you, too!" whined Ron.  
  
Several minutes later, the train pulled up to Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station. The students filed off. Harry would never be going back to school at Hogwarts again. He had graduated...He was actually partly surprised he'd lived long enough to graduate, but he couldn't complain. He would soon have his hands washed of the Dursley's. Soon, he'd be starting his training, well on his way to becoming an Auror. And even sooner than that, he'd get to start a life on his own in the magical world.  
  
Well, not alone. Luna would be with him. That is, of course, if she didn't throw her ring in his face after spending a week with the Dursley's. Harry frowned deeply when he saw his uncle's car. He had come, after all. Wasn't he going to get a surprise? The next week was going to be very interesting indeed....  
  
A/N: Not done, yet. I've got one or two more chapters still to come...have to put the finishing touches on everything, you know? Ha. Well, hope you liked it. Read and Review please! 


	8. Aunt Petunia Finally Talks

A/N: Bwa ha ha! Back at the Dursley's! I had to do it! Am I evil? Read and find out!! BTW, I love hearing what people think about what I write, so please, post a review or two if you like it...or if you don't...I really want to know! Thanks.  
  
Chapter Eight (AKA: Bwa ha ha)  
  
"Who the hell is this, boy?" Harry's Uncle Vernon snapped. "Out with it! I am not a damn taxi service!" he yelled.  
  
"Uncle Vernon, this is my fiancé, Luna." Harry answered calmly. "Luna, this is my Uncle Vernon."  
"Your..." Vernon coughed.  
"...Fiancé..." Harry finished.  
"Boy, you had better not..." Vernon began, but Luna stepped forward and offered her hand.  
"Luna Lovegood," she smiled. "Pleased to meet you."  
"Err..." Vernon frowned. "Get in the car, boy." He barked at Harry instead.  
  
"My aunt's a Muggle, you know...quite insane, actually..." Luna laughed on the way to Surrey.  
"Luna...err...not a good topic of conversation for my uncle..." Harry whispered.  
"I know," she shrugged, "but what else have I to talk about?"  
Harry laughed. "All right, but I warned you..."  
  
Finally, Pivet Drive came into view. It didn't look any different than when Harry had left it almost two years ago. He frowned. Dudley was sitting outside, his rolls of fat drooping over the front step. His aunt was peering through the blinds at the kitchen window.  
  
"Come on, Luna. I'll show you where my room is." Harry sighed.  
Luna grinned. "It's not that bad..." she offered.  
  
"Dudley, this is Luna." Harry mouthed as he passed his cousin on the steps. Dudley said nothing, so Harry continued on into the house.  
  
"Aunt Petunia, this is Luna," Harry introduced Luna to his aunt, who was still peering through the blinds.  
Aunt Petunia turned. "Who is Luna?" she asked, her curiosity rising.  
"My fiancé," Harry explained. "Luna, this is my Aunt Petunia. My mother's sister."  
"You're Lily Potter's sister?" Luna's mouth dropped open.  
Petunia blinked. "I...well...yes," she stammered.  
Luna frowned at the stack of dishes in the sink. "You know...you could always just..." Luna waved her wand. Suddenly, the dishes were not only spotlessly clean, but sorted inside the drainer.  
Aunt Petunia's mouth hung open. Harry quickly led Luna up the stairs. When he returned five minutes later to retrieve the rest of her things, his Aunt Petunia was still in the kitchen, only now, she was examining the dishes in the drainer as if they were contaminated ("Fascinating..." he heard her whisper as he turned back up the stairs).  
  
"You, my friend, have managed to turn the Dursley household inside out in less then ten minutes. How do you do it?" Harry laughed.  
"I'm just gifted," Luna smiled.  
  
Dudley tried at all times to stay at least ten feet from Luna and Harry. He seemed to be afraid that something bad might happen to him. Luna delighted in scaring the tar out of Vernon and Petunia, who still seemed to think Harry and Luna weren't allowed to do magic outside of school. Harry hadn't told them yet. He was just looking for the right way...  
  
It was about half way through the week when the owls started coming for Harry and Luna. The first was an owl from Harry, reminding him that his training was to start in a week. The second was a wedding invitation from Ron and Hermione addressed to both Luna and Harry. The third owl ("Ruddy owls!") was from Dumbledore. It was addressed to Luna. She read it quickly, and began to laugh.  
  
"What is it?" demanded Vernon, who had become interested (in an angry annoyed sort of way) after the third owl had swooped through the living room window and over his head.  
"Harry, Dumbledore has asked Ron to teach at Hogwarts." She smiled. Uncle Vernon flinched at the word 'Hogwarts'. "Herbology, I think. Says Professor Sprout retired..."  
"Why wouldn't Ron have just told us himself? Why would Dumbledore send you a letter about it?" Harry and Luna carried on their conversation as if his purple-faced uncle wasn't even there.  
"Because, Harry, apparently Dumbledore wants me to teach..." she scanned the letter again, as if she had forgotten. "Ancient Runes? That class was really interesting..." she said with a whistle.  
Harry blinked. "I thought you were working for your father's magazine?" he asked.  
"Oh, I can put that on hold for a little while for a favor to Dumbledore!" she smiled. "Although, I'm unsure why he'd want a couple nineteen year olds teaching classes..." She seemed to be thinking for a while, "but why am I worried?"  
"That's great," Harry smiled. "And you'll even get to work with Professor Lupin...you know, instead of handing in his homework..." Harry laughed at the thought.  
  
"Why are you talking about this in front of me?" growled Harry's uncle.  
Harry looked thoughtful a moment. "Because we can. It's not like they're going to come take us to Azkaban..." Harry shrugged.  
"But I thought you weren't allowed to do magic outside of school!" His uncle was suddenly outraged.  
"My dear uncle, we are no longer in school. We are now of age. We can do whatever we bloody well please as long as it's within the Ministry's bylaws."  
  
"Then why are you still here?" he demanded next.  
"Because I had to come and get my things, and I can't start renting out our house until next week. Why does it bother you so much, anyway? You've lived with me in the house before."  
"Luna, dear..." It was Aunt Petunia. Calling Luna...into the kitchen. Harry cast a suspicious glance towards the swinging door that went into the dining room. "Luna, could you come here a moment?"  
  
"Aunt Petunia, what are you doing?" asked Harry, an eyebrow raising.  
"I want to talk to Luna, Harry, dear..." she replied.  
"Harry, 'dear'..." he smirked. "Are you all right, Aunt Petunia?"  
  
Harry tiptoed into the kitchen behind Luna. What could Petunia possibly want with her? And for that matter, why was she being nice to him? For sixteen years, he had been trodden on, left out, and just plain forgotten. What had caused his aunt's sudden change in attitude? He watched Luna and his aunt, perplexed, but fascinated.  
  
"Hello, Luna dear." Petunia smiled.  
"What did you need, Mrs. Dursley?" whispered Luna, sounded slightly worried.  
Mrs. Dursley lowered her eyes to the floor. "I just wanted to tell you...well...what you did earlier...it was quite neat..." she admitted.  
Luna did a double take. "Is that all? It was nothing, Mrs. Dursley." She smiled. "But why all the secrecy? What have you got to whisper about?"  
"Vernon...he doesn't like...that side of my family too much..." Petunia whispered.  
  
Harry nearly fell over. Was he hearing what he thought he was hearing? His degree of interest just went up a point. He took yet another step forward. He was practically on top of the door.  
  
"You don't need to tell me that, Mrs. Dursley," frowned Luna.  
Petunia sighed deeply. "You mentioned Lily. We don't talk about Lily or James in this house. We even tell people Harry goes to St. Brutus's. My sister...my parents thought she was so special. They were so proud of her...Maybe I was jealous? I don't know. I told everyone she was a freak..."  
  
Harry took a step backwards. His breath had caught in his throat. His Aunt Petunia had finally cracked. And what was more interesting: his Aunt Petunia was talking to his fiancé about his mother. She hadn't even talked to him about his mother. Indeed, this was a very noteworthy occasion. He didn't want to intrude, only to listen, so again, he stepped forward.  
  
Luna was talking now. "...I'm sorry, Mrs. Dursley. I don't know what to say. Harry's said you've never talked about his parents before. He's rather sore about it..." she added. What could he say to that? He was.  
  
"Yes, I understand. We thought we could stomp it out of him, you know?" she laughed to herself, and Luna cringed. "But then, he still got that letter. And almost every year, we'd get one of those owls saying he'd been hurt...and then a couple years ago..." Petunia shivered.  
  
"The Dementors?" Luna whispered.  
  
Petunia shivered again. "Yes. Poor Dudley. But then look...look at all you've learned; at all he's learned. You are one of the few women in the world who may never have to do one bit of housework...it's quite amazing. I knew, of course...Lily was my sister...how could I not know?" She paused. Luna looked as if she wanted to run away. "But it wasn't until Harry showed up here with you...you're so open about it, like Lily was...you reminded me of her. She probably hated me by the time she married James, though. I was so mean to her. My friends were mean to her. It was horrible."  
  
"Oh my god!" Harry whispered to himself. He wanted to run in and hug his aunt. He had never heard her talk so openly, especially about his parents. Boy, was he glad his Uncle Vernon was absorbed in the seven o' clock news.  
Finally, Harry's backbone returned to him. He pushed open the swinging door and stepped into the kitchen. Luna smiled at him almost automatically.  
  
"How much did you hear, Harry dear?" his aunt asked him.  
"All of it, Aunt Petunia. I've been standing by the door for the past fifteen minutes." Harry was surprised at how easy it was to be honest with her.  
  
His Aunt Petunia laughed. This was a day for the record books. "You just make sure you don't tell your uncle I've been standing here babbling like an idiot," she whispered.  
"My lips are sealed, Aunt Petunia." Harry promised.  
  
That night, it was Luna's turn to be surprised. She flopped down onto Harry's bed, and sighed deeply. Harry sat down next to her.  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
Luna took a deep breath. "I don't know. That was weird. I wasn't expecting her to say that kind of stuff, you know? It was kind of scary...and she said I reminded her of Lily, Harry...why would she say that?" Luna had a habit of thinking out loud lately.  
  
"I don't know." Harry admitted. "I didn't really get a chance to know her...you want to see pictures?" he pulled a photo album from his bedside table. "To tell you the truth," he whispered, (Luna had begun to flip slowly through the album) "I don't think I've heard my aunt talk about my mother as much in nearly eighteen years, as she did tonight..."  
  
"Oh look! There's you as a baby!" Luna smiled. "You're waving at me!" She paused. "Is that...Sirius? Look...there, next to your father..." she pointed.  
  
"Yeah, it is." He sighed. "He was at their wedding. All the original Marauders were. Look. The next page should be one of Sirius, Lupin, and Peter. And the page after that is Peter with my parents..." Harry's fist had tightened into a ball.  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry. We're talking about a sore subject. Why don't we talk about something else?" she suggested softly. "What about...?" but she paused. Hedwig had just flown into the window. She dropped a letter into Harry's lap.  
Harry smiled. "Another one from Dumbledore. At least you didn't go through the living room, Hedwig," he laughed. "My uncle may have shot you..." Hedwig hooted disapprovingly. Harry opened the letter, sealed with the familiar Hogwarts crest.  
  
'Dear Harry- The enclosed document comes from the Ministry of Magic itself. If you happen to get the Daily Prophet, it may be covered in tomorrow's issue as well. I thought you might want to be the first person to see it. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore'  
  
"Harry, what is it?" asked Luna anxiously.  
  
Harry put Dumbledore's cover letter down on the bed, and Luna read through it. He looked at the piece of paper behind it. It was an official notice from the Ministry of Magic.  
  
'As of this day, the 24th of June, the Ministry of Magic would like to announce its capture of the illusive Animagus criminal Peter Pettigrew. Two years ago, the supposed-murderer Sirius Black was cleared of all charges after his unfortunate death in his quest to protect the prophecy told of Harry Potter...' 'It was discovered that Black was indeed an innocent man, and that Pettigrew had been the wizard who had ultimately contributed to the murders. Earlier this day, Pettigrew was found scurrying around the Hogwarts grounds...' 'Pettigrew was later delivered to the Azkaban prison. When he tried to escape, the Dementors preformed the dreaded Dementor's kiss...'  
  
Harry need not read any farther. He smiled and wiped a stray tear from his cheek. The man who had helped kill his parents would never be able to hurt anyone again. He had been caught. Justice had been done.  
  
"What is it, Harry?" asked Luna again.  
Harry sighed. "They caught Pettigrew. You know where he was? He was back at Hogwarts. But they caught him..." Harry whispered.  
Luna smiled, and kissed Harry gently on his forehead. "That's great for you, Harry." She giggled softly. "That's wonderful..." she yawned and leaned back on the pillow.  
  
"Yeah," he smiled, "and one less thing to have nightmares about."  
  
"Yes, dear..." Luna yawned again and rolled over on the pillow. Harry brushed her hair out of her eyes, smiled, and sat at his desk. Hegwig hooted in her cage, and Harry sat, smiling, and watching Luna sleep.  
  
A/N: I don't even know if Peter is still alive in the books or not, but in this case, he is for the sake of the story, okay? I just can't help but have the mush...you thought I'd be evil, didn't you? HA. Well, that is still to come. Read and Review, please! 


	9. The Weasley Wedding Goes Awry

A/N: Thanks to the people who have been reviewing my story! I'm glad to know what y'all think. Well, I'm almost done with this one. I'll probably go two or three more chapters before its over though. Other than that, I don't really want to tell y'all much about what's coming up! Read, find out, and tell me what you think! Me  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Harry Potter was finally Dursley free, forever. He grinned ear to ear as he and Luna made their way down the stairs. They passed Dudley on the front step. He grunted at them and scooted himself several feet away. His Aunt Petunia was already waiting in the car to drive them into London.  
  
"How do you plan on getting...wherever it is that you're going?" His aunt asked. Her demeanor seemed to have changed back to its normal coldness.  
Harry sighed. "We're going to fly." He answered.  
"In a plane?" she asked next.  
"Why pay for a plane when you can use a broom?" Luna replied.  
Aunt Petunia nodded. "I see."  
"Or we could buy a portkey?" Harry suggested, looking at Luna. "That way, we wouldn't have to worry about the luggage weighing us down."  
Luna thought a moment. "Sounds like a plan." She decided. "Besides, I need to go to Hogwarts anyway, and you need to be in Hogsmeade by Monday, right?"  
Harry nodded. "Ron and Hermione's wedding is this Friday, too, isn't it?"  
"It's going to be an interesting week..." Luna agreed.  
  
Luna had her meeting with Dumbledore. She and Harry had just begun to move things into their house in Hogsmeade by the time Friday, and Ron and Hermione's wedding came.  
  
Ron and Hermione decided they would get married on the Hogwarts grounds. Dumbledore was the one who presided over the wedding. Some of the people in attendance included Hermione's parents, Ron's family, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell (who curiously enough had shown up with Fred and George...), Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, Professor Lupin and practically the entire Hogwarts staff, and several people that Ron and Hermione were sure they'd never met before.  
  
The actual wedding took place down by the lake. The weather was perfect; so perfect, in fact, that Ron and Hermione were able to get all the way through the 'I do' part before even so much as a breeze disrupted them. Harry had been Ron's best man, and Ginny was Hermione's maid of honor. The ceremony had started, and ended before Harry even realized it.  
  
Most of the guests headed directly inside afterwards. The reception was to have a marvelous cake, and plenty butterbeer for all. Several people, however, stayed outside. Harry, Luna, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Angelina Johnson, and Katie Bell remained near the lake to catch up on the past several weeks in each other's lives.  
  
Something about the scene looked eerily familiar to Harry. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. What had Katie said? Luna was laughing, hard. Angelina was carrying on her own conversation with Neville. Harry had no clue what they were talking about. Across from him, Ron sat in one of the white lawn chairs. Hermione was perched in his lap. Ginny, despite her formal attire and the availability of many chairs, was sitting on the ground next to him. This definitely reminded him of something.  
  
Luna looked up at the sky and groaned loudly. "There goes the perfect weather!" she whined, wiping a single raindrop off of her forehead. "Do you guys want to head inside? People are probably looking for you two, anyway..." She glanced at Ron and Hermione.  
  
Harry looked up. Luna wasn't kidding. The sky was an ominous shade of gray. Those storm clouds had moved in rather quickly. Still, the familiarity of it all was confusing him. He began to think. What did this remind him of? Where had he...?  
  
Harry gasped. His mind took him back to his sixth year at Hogwarts. A nightmare. It had been a nightmare. He had told Lupin about it, hadn't he? He could remember...down by the lake...he was with the Marauders...the sky...and Ron and Hermione. It had seemed strange to him then, but now...  
Had Angelina and Katie been there? He tried to think. No, they had not. He was experiencing some altered form of deja vu. The nightmare. He could remember it all now. Luna laughing, and Ron and Hermione. And Voldemort. He remembered why it had scared him so much...  
  
"Oh god..." he whispered to himself.  
Luna frowned. "What is it, Harry?" she asked him.  
"We need to get inside. We need to get into the castle, now!" Harry screamed.  
Ron shrugged. "It's only sprinkling outside, Harry..."  
"No, Ron! Not that! It's..."  
  
Luna screamed. Harry was too late. He hadn't warned them in time. Voldemort was standing in front of them. The castle was gone. Everywhere was darkness, and they were going to die. His friends were going to die.  
  
"No!" Harry screamed, stepping in front of Luna with his wand drawn. Why hadn't he killed her? It would have been so easy...  
  
"You can't save them, boy." Hissed Voldemort. "They will die, and so will you."  
  
"You're wrong!" Harry yelled.  
  
"Oh no, Harry. I am very right." Voldemort laughed. It was a cackle. High-pitched, and cold. "I shall make you watch them die, and then I shall kill you..."  
  
"It's eight against one!" Harry blinked. Had Neville just challenged Voldemort?  
  
Harry shook his head. He remembered his nightmare. Neville had fallen first. "Neville, NO!" screamed Harry, jumping at his friend. A green light had shot from Voldemort's wand. Neville fell, and did not move.  
  
"Neville!" Hermione sobbed. She knew the curse. Neville was gone.  
  
"Harry..." Ron was red with anger. He had his wand drawn.  
  
"No, Ron." Growled Angelina. Her and Katie stepped in front of him. Any wand blast that would touch him would have to go through them first. Harry didn't remember this in his nightmare. Katie and Angelina had not been there...  
  
"You think you can challenge me? You shall end up just like that stupid boy...." Voldemort smiled.  
  
Angelina attempted one of the Unforgivable Curses. Voldemort flew backwards several feet, groaned, and got up to brush himself off. He laughed. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked them. Another green light shot from his wand. Harry couldn't believe it. He had killed both of them with one curse.  
  
"Angie..." Ginny whispered. "We're going to die..."  
"No!" Harry hissed. "I refuse to let him think he has the upper hand, damn it! We might as well form a neat little line for him while we're at it, if we think that way!"  
"He does have the upper hand, Harry." Luna whispered.  
Harry shook his head. "Didn't you see? When just Angelina used that curse, she knocked him off his feet..." he whispered. "If we all use it at once, we can do some serious damage!" He frowned. "He may be the most hateful bastard alive...that's what makes it work so well for him..."  
"But if all of us did it together..." Hermione caught on.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Ginny raised their wands. Ginny wiped a tear from her eye, glanced at Neville, and returned her glare to the object of her hatred.  
  
"Who's next?" Voldemort was getting confident. "You will all fall. It is inevitable."  
  
"Let's do it," Luna whispered.  
  
Five different people cast the same spell. Five different green lights were speeding towards Voldemort. He flew backwards several feet, but this time, he lay still.  
  
Ron took a step forward. "Did we...kill him?" he gulped.  
"I don't think so." Harry shook his head. "He's unconscious."  
  
The sky returned to its previous shade of blue. The castle came back into view. They were back on the Hogwarts grounds.  
  
Ginny dropped on her knees where Neville lay. The people who had been inside the Great Hall were now outside. Many were screaming. Harry frowned. Angelina, Katie, and Neville were gone. Ginny still had herself wrapped around Neville, even as his grandmother appeared on the scene. Fred and George had found Katie and Angelina, and could do nothing but stare. Dumbledore pushed through the crowd.  
  
"Where is he?" he demanded. "What happened?"  
  
Harry was confused. His friends had died. Was Dumbledore talking about Voldemort? His temper flared. "I don't know what happened, all right? We were sitting there, and then we weren't there, and he was! He just started killing people. Just like in my..." Harry stopped.  
  
"...your dream?" Dumbledore finished for him.  
"Yeah." Harry frowned. "Did Professor Lupin talk to you about it?"  
"Yes. You were sitting over there?" Dumbledore pointed to the lake. "Let's go have a look. What do you say?"  
Harry was aghast. "What's wrong with you? I don't want to 'go have a look'! Some of my best friends just died! It's not like we'll find anything, anyway! We only knocked him unconscious!"  
"Yes, and when that happened, you returned to the grounds, correct?" Dumbledore was actually smiling. Harry was beginning to think the old man was insane. "I bet you that if you returned, he has returned as well,"  
"That's the craziest load of crud I've ever heard!" growled Harry, but he reluctantly followed Dumbledore.  
Dumbledore walked all the way to the edge of the grounds, and the beginning of the Dark Forest.  
"We weren't this far back," Harry grumbled, throwing his hands up in the air.  
Dumbledore shook his head. "You weren't, but...lumos!" A bright light filled the area around Harry and Dumbledore.  
Harry gasped. "It's...but, sir! When Cedric..." Harry stammered.  
"I know, Harry. You don't have to explain anything to me. Professor Snape will be here in seconds to give Tom here his most potent sleeping potion...It should at least last long enough for the Dementors to arrive..."  
  
Professor Snape didn't take long, just as Dumbledore had said. Dumbledore didn't even bother trying to move Voldemort. He left him where he lay in the Dark Forest. Harry fetched him a chair, and he sat guard until the Dementors arrived ten minutes later. The Dementors immediately delivered the Dementors Kiss. They then took Voldemort, who was (oddly enough) still sleeping, straight off to Azkaban. Harry could do nothing but stare at them. They had just sucked out his soul, and yet, it did fit that he spend the rest of his life in prison.  
  
Harry returned to the crowd of people. Ron was very white faced, but otherwise seemed all right. Hermione was sobbing on his arm. Professor McGonnagal was leading her parents back into the castle. Harry reckoned they'd probably need a large dose of Prozac. Fred and George were huddled around Mr. And Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was beside herself. She hugged George under one arm, and Fred under the other. Harry scanned the crowd for Ginny, but didn't have to look far. Grandma Longbottom was holding her grandson in her arms as if he were a child, and Ginny still sat where she had fallen when they returned. Harry started to panic. He remembered Luna coming back with them, but he didn't see her anywhere.  
  
He caught sight of Lupin. He was standing near the lake, and several of the teachers had gathered there with him. He ran up to them. "Have any of you seen...?" he began, but breathed a sigh of relief. "Luna!" She was sitting cross-legged in the grass, staring out at the lake.  
  
Lupin placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "She's a little shaken up, but I think she'll be all right..." he smiled.  
"She has her reasons for being shaken up," Harry sighed, and took a seat in the grass next to Luna. She didn't look at him for several minutes. "Luna?" he finally whispered.  
  
She sighed deeply. "I'm fine, Harry."  
He frowned, but then he remembered something. "Luna? You remember what you said to me the summer before our sixth year?" he asked her.  
"Not really, Harry, no." she frowned.  
"Time heals all wounds, Luna." He smiled, and wrapped her in a hug. "Remember that. One day, this one will heal, too..."  
"Sure it will, Harry," Luna smirked.  
  
Harry got back up. Lupin pat him on the back. "Well done, Harry."  
"We all did it, Professor Lupin." Harry shrugged.  
"Did he get away?" Lupin whispered.  
Harry couldn't help but smile. "Well, he sure is gone...in a manner of speaking."  
Lupin looked confused. "What do you mean, Harry?"  
  
Harry explained to Lupin how it was that the five of them were able to return to the castle. Slowly, he told of how Neville had died, and then Angelina and Katie. He talked about the Unforgivable curse, and how the five of them had realized that it could work, and how Voldemort had been knocked unconscious. Lupin only nodded throughout Harry's whole story.  
  
"Yes, but what did you mean?" Lupin asked again. "You haven't explained that part yet!"  
  
"Dumbledore found Voldemort. We'd knocked him good. He was still unconscious, and near the edge of the Dark Forest. Snape helped. He made a sleeping potion. The Dementors came about twenty minutes ago..." Harry explained.  
  
"...The Dementors Kiss?" Lupin finished.  
  
Harry nodded. "It's over."  
  
A/N: There is an epilogue! I will have it up ASAP! Read and Review please! 


	10. The Epilogue

A/N: This is the final part to this story...however, I will undoubtedly be writing more stories soon. I've already had a couple of ideas....Hahaha. Well, I really hope that you guys liked this one!! smiles  
  
Chapter Ten (The Epilogue)  
  
Harry and Luna were married almost a year after Voldemort was captured. Harry went through his Auror training, and was now working in the Ministry of Magic with some of the same people he had met the year he learned of the Order of the Phoenix. Luna was still teaching at Hogwarts, although she still submitted an occasional article to her father's magazine.  
  
Hermione had to take time off of her job as a Gringott's curse breaker. Her and Ron had their first baby, a girl whom they named Angelina. She had Hermione's eyes, and the telltale red hair of almost every Weasley before her. Ron and Hermione did eventually have another child. This time, it was a boy. They named him Neville, after their fallen comrade and close friend. Ron had been teaching at Hogwarts for two years, and he and Hermione had finally saved up enough for a small house of their own. They decided to move into a place that was only twenty minutes from the Burrow.  
  
Ginny took after Fred and George, opening up her own shop in Diagon Alley with the help of Dumbledore and her parents. Instead of a joke shop, Ginny sold herbs and various different things for magical in-home remedies. Her store was a great success. A week after her niece was born, Ginny made the cover of Witch Weekly magazine.  
  
Professor Lupin taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts until several months after the Weasleys daughter was born. There have been no recurrences of the incident in his first year of teaching. He has daily contact with both the Potters and the Weasleys, and was even present at the birth of Angelina.  
  
After the incident with Voldemort at the Weasley wedding, Dumbledore reluctantly retired from his post as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is now the Minister of Magic. He took over at the Ministry after the former Minister, Cornelius Fudge, had a rather interesting breakdown after the capture of Voldemort. He still visits the school regularly, and is said to be in the process of electing the next Hogwarts Headmaster. Remus Lupin was inaugurated as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts just after Angelina's first birthday.  
  
Harry and Luna had their own reasons to celebrate later that year. A month after they found out about Lupin's new position at Hogwarts, they celebrated the birth of their twins. The oldest (by two minutes) was a girl. They named her Lily Katelyn Potter. Lily's younger brother was named James Sirius Potter. Both children look more like Luna ("Thank goodness!" Lupin joked after they were born). Lupin was named godfather to the twins, who, later in life, actually started calling him 'uncle'.  
  
Harry still has the photo album Hagrid gave to him from his parents' wedding. Several of the pictures now sit on his mantle with the pictures of his own family. When the twins start at Hogwarts (which, even Luna admits, will be a little while) Harry will pass his father's cloak on to his own children, along with the story. The problem is, there are so many stories. There's story of his parents, and the original Marauders, which will undoubtedly become a bedtime favorite. But then, of course, is his story. The story of mommy and daddy, and their friends, Neville, Katie, and Angelina, and how they died. Luckily, he's got quite a while to think about how he's going to explain it to them.....  
  
A/N: You like?! 


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